This book is a collection of true stories about my personal experiences with wildlife before and after I founded the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Inc. in Lubbock Texas, in 1988.
It all started when a neighbor brought me a mockingbird nestling four years earlier, and I had no idea what to do with it, but this chance encounter would literally change my life forever. If that bird had not survived, there would likely not be a wildlife center - or a book about it.
My passion was raising songbirds for twenty-eight years - from the tiniest nestling to fledglings and young adults - and then releasing them, while providing back-up feeding and care for as long as it took for each one to become fully independent. I've had the privilege to hold - and help - some of nature's most beautiful creatures, and caring for them was like a glimpse into Nature's soul.
A minimum of six months a year was dedicated to the birds I raised - all day, every day - but I never tired of caring for them even though keeping them all fed was a never-ending job. The smallest and youngest birds were fed about every 30 minutes, from first thing in the morning until dusk. Many times, after a brief errand, I'd return home to find three or more shoeboxes on my front porch - all containing a bird, or birds, or a nest of birds.
Volunteers manned the Wildlife Center in the early days because animals were dropped off there, too. Then in 1993, an on-site Wildlife Center Manager arrived that made my life a lot less hectic.
We accept wild animals that are ill, orphaned, displaced or injured with a goal of release whenever possible. The moment of release is always exhilarating, whether it is sending off a tiny hummingbird, or a magnificent Bald Eagle.
Although the Center holds state and federal permits that are required by law, it receives no funding whatsoever from either agency.... all the more reason I have been so proud and thankful for our continued support and success as the year 2026 is just around the corner.
