How to mend a broken wing.

Dec 20th, 2009

I had just finished shoveling the snow from the driveway, after a 24hr snowstorm began here in NY. It was Sunday morning & the 50mph winds had died down when DW called me from one of the side windows of my house. She told me that a male Cardinal was on the ground 'calling for help'. I went to the back and found a male cardinal having difficulty walking, as I got closer I noted it was trying to fly but for some reason couldn’t. My DW begged me to help it and I got some gloves and a towel and was able to capture it.

I took it inside and put it in a soft insulated lunch box and observed it for awhile. It’s left wing was angled in an awkward manner and it’s toes on one foot were curled up and it was limping on the other leg. No signs of any other traumatic injury. 20min later while I sat and thought of what to do next it escaped and started running around the house! Well the leg was fine, probably suffering from frost-bite since he was confined to the snow covered ground outside and the temps were in the mid 20°s, so only one injury left… a broken wing.

This pic was taken about ½hr after capture, (still in the ice box).

I Googled up this website which gave instructions on how to repair the wing,

http://www.duckpolice.org/BirdWeb/PigeonResourceWeb/brokenwing.html

If I could do it myself I could release him back to the exact spot where I found him... I went to Walmart and got a large cage, some food and a self adhesive wrap w/o any glue.
The wing was wrapped against the body in a natural position and the bird placed in the cage in a separate room, I watched to make sure it was breathing well and covered him for the night. The next morning he was eating and drinking water.

I had two cardinal families and noticed one male was missing from the yard, I determined this was the second smaller Cardinal, most likely the brother of the other one which was still coming every day enjoying the shelled peanuts I threw for them. Every morning the brother and the females would come and visit, I left the window slightly open for awhile everyday and they communicated to each other.

The bottom of the cage was cleaned and fresh food and water were supplied daily, the room swept of all debris as well. His bandage was checked daily & changed as needed. Eventually he started taking baths in the am.

On Jan 25th, 2010 the bandage was removed.

It was early Feb and we still had significant storms and wind gusts of over 50mph, to make matters worse for his immediate release he had molted a lot of his underlying feathers which were his insulation.
I decided I would let him loose when food became more abundant and I was sure his newly repaired wing could take the harsh elements. He was our guest, with his own 'guest room' for the duration.

Well I didn't have to look at the calendar to find out when spring began. The third week of March he started to sing in the early afternoon, much to the delight of the female outside which would visit religiously ever day. Fresh Raspberries & greens were given every day in addition to his seeds, (sparingly, I did not want to initiate diarrhea which would dehydrate him). He also started taking regular baths in the am.

I had a Cardinal singing in the house!

Today was the day of release. DW who found him, was given the honor. He was released into an 8' evergreen hedge. He seemed stunned, disoriented, he didn't move for about 15min while he acclimatized back to the sights and sounds of the outside.

(this shot was taken less than an hour ago)

I noticed another Cardinal fly into the other side of the hedge, they began talking to each other. 'My' Cardinal moved deeper into the hedge.

- He's free now, wing repaired and as healthy as we could get him, 5 min ago DW saw him in one of my tall Junipers, chirping away.

PS - don't try this unless you have an extra room, lol!

The End

OMG, that is incredible WC!!

So glad he found someone so compassionate and that the story had such a great ending! Congratulations and thanks for sharing this with us!

Thanks Pelle, It sure felt good to see him free again!

How thoughtful of you to take in this beautiful bird and help him recover from his injuries. I'm so glad he had you to care for him. Most people would have just let nature take its course. Thank you for being one in a million families that would go to this trouble for our feathered friends.

Way to Go!! Such a nice story and ending!!

Beautiful story and such a happy ending. Thanks so much for caring for him...you are very special!

What a wonderful story, and with a happy ending!!

You should be very proud of yourself!!

Very cool WC!

Thanks everyone, we consider ourselves lucky too, ' The Big Guy' gave us something to take care of for the holiday season and we returned it in better shape than when we found it today! - It was our pleasure ☺

WC2, this story you've shared tells much about kindness from the heart. Thank you.

Awww Geez... (insert blushing smile) ☺!

^_^

What a wonderful story.

Now THAT is dedication to nature!

If all 6 billion people of the world felt the same....

WOW,GREAT JOB,nice ending = ]

You made my day watercan2, great to read of your bird rescue.

Hack

(Just a small update)
I've been naturally worried about my former patient for a week now, but my fears were happily alleviated when I saw him under my bird feeder this Saturday morning. (he's easy to ID, he only has two tail feathers, but is growing more now). - and I recognize his call (lol!) - He left before I could get my camera but it's him alright! ☺!

Glad to hear he is doing well!

A nice reunion H20can2.

Sweet news!!!

The main thing is that you had a chance to find out that you healed him and he's doing fine. Not many people get to find these results. I'm happy for you.

Yes, that was a weight off my chest, (- not knowing...).