Insignificant Intention

I severely injured a bird today - not on purpose... but it was definitely my fault, and it could have been avoided if I'd just been a little smarter about something.

Our Terminix man likes me to use these glue strips to catch the bugs we find around the house so that he can see them and know what they are (my guesses are unreliable and I think he wants to see if something I've deemed dangerous is indeed something to worry about).

So... the other day I caught a little beetle who looked like a potential cockroach while stranded on his back, and I set the glue strip on the porch because I didn't want to bring the bug inside. I figured I'd just leave it there until Larry's next visit.

Today I heard a flapping and squawking noise coming from the porch, and when I went out side to investigate, I saw a little cardinal stuck to the paper and frantically trying to free himself and fly away.

I didn't know what to do... I ran outside to the back and told Andy what was going on, thinking two heads and hands would be more successful than my one. I grabbed a towel in case we needed to handle him in order to remove the strip and went back onto the porch.

Unfortunately, as soon as I stepped out, he panicked more and his now desperate attempts to move or escape only made him more stuck. Just as I was about to throw the towel over him in the hopes of calming him down, he freed himself - minus several feathers and looking extremely hurt.

He tried to fly off, but could not... we couldn't tell if his wing was broken or just injured... or if he'd lost too many feathers during his most frantic moments. He was finally able to sort of hop/fly off the porch and into the neighbors yard, and then he quickly disappeared out of sight.

Andy tried to follow him as I went inside and cried, but he couldn't locate him.

What makes this all even more upsetting is that I think he's the father of the little family living on our porch. I went out to water the plants this afternoon, and the mother bird angrily chirped at me for a good minute or two before flying off. I remember seeing a little cardinal near the nest, and I think one would often perch on the cedar tree right near that corner... but he was missing tonight.

I am still trying to think of something I can do to help the little family or ensure he comes to no harm while he's healing. If you have any thoughts, please let me know.