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…