When the Peña Bustillos family decided to start a business, they wanted to find something they could all do together. So when Manuel Peña—a retired Austin police officer who owns Wild Birds Unlimited in Dripping Springs along with his wife, Anna Peña, a retired pharmacist—suggested they open a bird business, the whole family got involved. “I’ve been feeding the birds since I was a little girl,” said their daughter Amanda Peña Bustillos, who grew up in Dripping Springs and helps manage the family shop. The Peñas have lived in Dripping Springs for more than 35 years. Their store, located on Hwy. 290, will celebrate its five-year anniversary in September. The individually owned franchise specializes in backyard bird products with a selection of nature essentials, including backyard bird feeders, an extensive variety of bird food, nest boxes and other products for birds. What the store does not sell is birds. “We take care of wild birds,” said Peña Bustillos, who said people sometimes mistake the bird product store for a pet store. Dripping Springs just might be the ideal place to have a bird shop. In February, the city was designated a Bird City by Texas Parks and Wildlife and Audubon Texas. The program recognizes communities that do a good job to improve nature. Peña Bustillos’ husband, Hector Bustillos, a former teacher, also works with the family business. And while everyone comes from vastly different professional backgrounds, she said the nature business came well, naturally. Wild Birds Dripping Springs won The Song Birds Hero Award from the franchise in May, which is awarded to a franchisee for going above and beyond to educate its community about how to save songbirds—and bringing people and nature together. “It’s really amazing how many people are passionate about taking care of birds," Peña Bustillos said. “This is something that brings our family a lot of joy.”