HOLMES BEACH – The parrots that live at the Sun and Surf Beach Shop, 5418 Marina Drive, are back at their familiar perch.
On Oct. 7, two days before Hurricane Milton struck, the parrots were relocated to the Birds of Paradise sanctuary in Bradenton founded and operated by Debbie Huckaby. That ordeal required five vehicles, numerous dog crates and a U-Haul truck to transport the large parrot cages that are once again wheeled back inside the store each night.
On March 8, the parrots spent their first day outside the store again. A visit to Sun and Surf on March 11 found store owner Jennifer Moore feeding and caring for her avian friends while waiting for her business in Holmes Beach to reopen, which she expects to happen very soon.
After expressing her thanks for Huckaby and the Birds of Paradise sanctuary, Moore said,
“The birds are back. They don’t like change and they’re so happy to be back in their home environment. They missed the sunshine and salt air. They definitely missed our customers and we’re looking forward to our customers coming back soon.”
The parrots have been part of the Sun and Surf business operations in The Island Shopping Center for 30 years. Moore’s step-dad, Marty Duytschaver, founded the store in 1983.
Duytschaver and Moore’s mom, Heather, shared a love for parrots that eventually became part of the Sun and Surf business model for the store that sells clothing, shoes, swimwear, accessories, beach supplies, souvenirs and more. The Sun and Surf website touts the business as “The Store with the Birds.” Marty and Heather are now retired and live in Michigan.
“My parents, the original owners, would rescue them and adopt them out,” Moore said. “I came in when I was 11 and I’ve taken over the store.”
Regarding the current parrot population, Moore said, “They are not for sale. This is their forever home and these birds are our forever babies. They’re the mascots of the store and sort of an accidental attraction.
“Birdie is the oldest bird here. She’s in her 50s. We adopted her from a lady who had to go into a nursing home. She had her for 30 years and we’ve had her for something like 20 years now. She sings ‘Old McDonald had a Farm,’ she loves opera and she brings a lot of joy to the store. And Buddy is our greeter.
“All these birds bring a lot of joy to people. They have their own little fan club and people look forward to seeing our birds every year. They sing songs with them, dance with them and the birds get socialization every day. It makes the store a little different than all the other stores on the Island. It’s something we’ve done for 30 years and the birds are part of the Island. They made their mark and it makes the Island even more special,” Moore said.
Sun and Surf employee Lori Kee later said of the parrots’ return: “We’re very happy and that was an emotional day.”
Visit the Birds of Paradise sanctuary online at www.birdsofparadise.org.
