Since early January or even December, I've seen a female cardinal at my feeder that has had a terrible eye issue. I don't remember what it looked like at the beginning, but now it has evolved to be a swollen purple mess. I don't think it's conjunctivitis (I've seen other female cardinals at my feeders with conjunctivitis; sadly my neighbors don't seem to know to clean their feeders regularly), and that doesn't look like this. Any thoughts? She seems to be surviving ok, and her other eye doesn't look bad, although it doesn't look completely normal either.
Sorry for the quality of the photo. I took it from a distance through a window and with a camera that has an SD card too large for my laptop slot.
Sorry for the quality of the photo. I took it from a distance through a window and with a camera that has an SD card too large for my laptop slot.