Welcome to Periwinkle Park
Where the birds rule the roost
S ubtropical Sanibel has a special attraction that only those in the know are aware of. It’s Periwinkle Park, likely one of the best-situated trailer/RV parks in the world and home to colorful parrots that entertain visitors three mornings a week during season.
Libby and Dave Baird discovered Sanibel as vacationers in 1990 and bought their first place in Periwinkle Park in 1997 after both retired as high school teachers. They travel each fall from their home in Ontario, Canada, to winter in the park, accompanied by a lovebird and Dooley, their 24-year-old double yellow-headed Amazon parrot. “Dealing with the red tape associated with bringing the birds back and forth between countries is somewhat difficult,” Libby admits.
Once ensconced at the park, “Miss Libby” busies herself caring for the avian inhabitants of the park’s public area and presenting thrice-weekly bird shows for residents and tourists. Dave helps by repairing perches, making toys and assisting with grooming the parrots. He plays golf most days but arrives near the end of each show to help with the large birds. Toys, treats and veterinary care are subsidized by the sale of photos, a Par
rots of Periwinkle Park video and bird-related souvenirs.
Guests are greeted by Amazons, conures, macaws, cockatoos and smaller birds housed in cages suspended above the ground. Waterfowl visiting from an adjacent pond roam underneath. Woody, an Amazon parrot stolen from the park more than 20 years ago and returned courtesy of some great detective work, is popular with visitors. Larger cages, inhabited by macaws and cockatoos, are nearby. Lemurs leap about in a huge habitat just down a short pathway, and wild birds inhabit the pond, which connects to the Sanibel River.
On show days, a crowd gathers to enjoy Libby’s free presentation. One by one, birds are removed from their cages and introduced to the audience. A green-winged macaw cocks its head to peer at some vultures riding the air currents overhead while Libby extends one of its wings to illustrate what blood feathers look like.
Libby’s mission is education, and she answers questions, emphasizing that pet birds require enrichment and companionship. “I tell people that parrots aren’t domesticated. They need
“It’s surprising how many residents I meet that say they never knew the bird show and the public area of the park existed. Once they learn about it, they come with waves of grandchildren!” —Libby Baird
some specialized care, and they may be a lifetime commitment.”
Most of the Periwinkle Park birds are former pets. Sunny II, a gregarious sun conure, arrived badly feather-plucked. Libby explains that Sunny II is recovering and regrowing healthy feathers. New additions include Ruby, a female eclectus parrot, as well as a little green-cheeked conure who has found an unlikely friend in a female Amazon parrot.
The cockatoos, Libby says, are “very demanding, a factor that many don’t consider when acquiring one. They’re
also very dexterous. When Dave put a cockatoo in the wrong cage, the bird dismantled it!”
Libby stresses the importance of grooming for pet birds and warns onlookers that small birds can often fly when their wings are clipped. She places an eclectus parrot on a young girl’s shoulder and mentions that an eckie’s eye pupils don’t contract as dramatically as an Amazon’s. A cockatoo chomps down on a hard-shelled nut, illustrating beak strength.
“It’s surprising,” Libby says, “how many residents I meet that say they never knew the bird show and the public area of the park existed. Once they learn about it, they come with waves of grandchildren.”
Dick Muench, a familiar face around Sanibel, owns the 35-acre park and began breeding exotic birds there in 1977. He was honored by the American Federation of Aviculture with a First Breeding Award for a black-necked aracari in June 1987.
Muench has cut back on breeding but maintains a collection of exotic birds along with some waterfowl and animals. Some of Muench’s birds are on display in the gardens at Jerry’s Shopping Center, where people often stop and chat with the talkative parrots.
Muench is a member of the Zoological Association of America, an organization that promotes responsible ownership and conservation in public and private facilities. Periwinkle Park is inspected twice yearly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Fish & Wildlife Service inspects annually.
The birds are acclimated and easily withstand winter cold snaps. There’s a strong building on the property where birds can be housed in individual cages in emergencies. Hurricanes are an annual threat, and according to Muench, “The biggest issue is power outage. After Hurricane Charley in 2004, we took water out of the swimming pool to wash everything. We lost one tree and two birds, which were eventually recovered. As islanders are aware, having a workable plan is the best defense.”
Susan Chamberlain was a longtime
columnist and feature writer for Bird Talk magazine and has written for related
publications, including Hobby Farm, Pet
Product News, Watchbird and others. A former Sanibel resident, she shares her home in New York with five pet birds, including a 46-year-old Amazon parrot.