The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: A Love Story . . . with Wings

I watched the documentary about Mark Bittner and the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill around 8 years ago, and as an owner of a pet cherry head conure at the time, became so endeared with it that I bought a copy of the book. Eight years later I finally decided to pick it up. I don't remember the documentary that well, but the book is better able to document Mr. Bittner's interactions with the parrots from day one. The movie relied on the film footage and the parrots alive at the time of the movie's filming. I'm sure the movie recalled some of the flock's former members, but the book allows for Mr. Bittner to go into more personal detail. It's not at all a scientific account of the wild parrots, it is much more a memoir of Mark observing them and his efforts to get the birds to warm up to him. Mr. Bittner does mention his struggles with anthropomorphism, as he knows it is frowned upon within the scientific community. As a parrot owner myself, I can recognize how easily it is to anthropomorphize parrots as they are incredibly intelligent animals. He learns to tell parrots apart from one another and starts to name the members of the flock. As he observes and interacts with them as they feed from his balcony and hand, he notices differences in behavior and personality among the birds. He also takes note of the mating couples and the babies that result from them. He has some favorite birds that he becomes more attached to, whether it is because the bird is a little braver and more willing to interact with him, or that the bird's personality and demeanor stands out.As more of the flock get to know him, he ends up becoming more involved with the birds as he starts to take a few in to care for them when they become injured or ill. Overtime, the people in the area recognize that he knows the most about the birds, and even bring sick or injured birds to him. He has a lot documented about those birds for obvious reasons.It also goes into a little detail of Mr. Bittner's life as he is a homeless person living in San Francisco. How he manages to wallow through life is somewhat fascinating, as he was incredibly lucky that he was able to stay in the cottage on Telegraph Hill free of charge for as long as he did. He does self proclaim himself as a "dharma bum" and a hippie, so his life philosophy is much different than mine.As someone who is relatively familiar with parrot behavior, there wasn't much that was very surprising in his book. Pet parrots of today are only a couple generations removed from the wild at most, so many of the wild animal instincts are present in a domesticated parrot, unlike a dog who is a very domesticated animal. The difference is that a pet parrot was hand raised as a baby by a human, so parrots learn to see humans as members of their flock rather than other parrots. That's not to say I did not learn anything at all; I certainly laughed at a few things.The book is very simply written, so the subject matter is what is carrying the book and moving it along. If you don't think you'd be interested in a very personal diary about observations and interactions with wild parrots, I don't think this would be a book for you.

For me this book was more a tale about a spiritual quest, or maybe a personal path to enlightenment, than a Ornithological account of a wild flock of parrots.Mark was given a gift. A gift to see, observe, and interact with a wild flock of parrots, and through this exchange come to an understanding of the nature of reality. I know this sounds deep, and maybe even far fetched, but that is what happened!The beautiful thing is, the book doesn't beat you over the head with this. In fact I had no idea that this was going to be the theme of the story until I got into one of the last chapters. Because really, the book is about a wild flock of birds. About how Mark went about observing them, his growing emotional attachment to them, and his methods used to gather all the information he could about these parrots.But that was all just a means to an end; although it was a beautiful and often touching means that kept me fascinated through the entire read. It is the purpose Mark found following these means through to their intended end that makes this book so profound, and so much more that merely a study of parrots.In closing I would say if you happen to have a bird as a pet and haven't read this book, you are missing a fabulous opportunity to increase your understanding about the relationship you are having with your bird. It is a very useful and practical book in that way.

This book features a large cast of characters, most of whom are parrots. There are so many of them, and Bittner forges relationships with so many of them, that even though the birds have distinct personalities, I lost track of who was who after a while.Also frustrating is Bittner's frustration with himself. He chooses to live on the fringes of society, in an attempt to follow a more spiritual path, but he periodically becomes disenchanted with meditation and communing with nature and loses sight of even his spiritual goals. I knew the book was supposed to include a human love interest, but she doesn't appear until nearly the end of the book. I wished she'd been introduced earlier, and that we were allowed to see more of Bittner's life with her, to provide a happy contrast to the frustration he experience through so much of the book.The main attraction of the book is, of course, the birds, but they only remain charming for so long. After a while, Bittner's catalog of interactions begins to sound like the transcription of a bird-watcher's journal. I also began wondering just how wonderful his interactions with the birds were -- at times he just plain interfered with nature, and I'm not sure that's such a good thing.I'm a sucker for an animal story, though, and Bittner's closeness to the flock is enviable. Though the book got overly-long and repetitive, I'd love to see the movie.

I bought the book after watching the movie, great story

An engaging book that tells the story in book form (vs. DVD) about Mark Bittner's relationship with the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. It goes into more detail than the movie. It's inspirational, charming, and at times sad. The section of the book on Tupelo made me cry as it was very touching. Bless you Mark Bittner. If it weren't for you, I never would have experienced those wonderful parrots that you shared with the world by inviting us into your home so that we can learn about them. You get to know each of the parrots' personalities. Some of them are immensely amusing. Maybe I'm just a bird lover. However, it is still a terrible tragedy that these birds are taken from their ancestral home, captured and sold on the market. Read the book, see the movie and listen to the music CD from the movie.

This is the most gorgeous book I have ever encountered. Mark writes about the flock with such love and compassion but without over doing it. I have kept birds for over 30 years and I learned so much from reading this, from watching the film, and from talking to Mark himself. The man is an absolute marvel

As a keen parrot person I was eager to read this book. Whilst I found it difficult to get interested in all the authors beliefs I found his story fascinating. The story of how he first made contact with the parrots, gained their trust and even saved their lives was inspiring. You really got to know the birds and felt his sadness when one of his favourites died. This book is a must for anyone who enjoys parrots, but is also a brilliantly told story of a man's relationship with nature. I would recommend this book to anyone, who not only has interest in nature but also to anyone looking for a good uplifting story.

livre broché souple format poche papier recyclé de 2004 racontant l'histoire d'une amitié entre un californien et une troupe de psittacidés; une vingtaine de petits chapitres au texte intéressant illustré de quelques gravures et photos n&b; ce livre de souvenirs plaira à tous les naturalistes et amateurs de belles histoires d'oiseaux, mais ils seront déçus par l'iconographie très pauvre; de plus les scientifiques chercheront en vain des faits précis et rigoureux (noms d'espèces) et ne pourront considérer cet ouvrage comme digne de prendre place dans leur bibliothèque

Awesome book, read it twice so far. Highly recommend it

But books usually are...