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Reviewed: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, A Love Story with Wings By Mark Bittner Harmony
Books, a division of Random House Inc., New York, NY, 2004, 288 pp, ISBN:
0-609-61055-4, Cdn $33.00, hardcover This book, first released in January, 2004, then as a movie in 2005, tells the tale of an unusual relationship between the author, Mark Bittner, and a flock of wild conure parrots that lived in the vicinity of San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill. Bittner moved to San Francisco to start a music career, but when it did not develop, he found himself on a search for meaning in his life, a journey that took several years and one which eventually resulted in his developing a relationship with wild parrots that lived in and around the city’s famed Telegraph Hill area. After some forlorn days of living hand-to-mouth on the streets, through a series of lucky connections, he lands a job as a housekeeper for an elderly woman, a position that comes with a rent-free apartment on the Hill. He notices the parrots that frequent the area, and finds himself drawn to them, as he tries desperately to seek meaning through a connection with nature. He develops close bonds with many of the birds, feeding them, watching them, even helping nurse some sick and injured birds back to health, although he never desires to tame them completely. He eventually becomes a local expert on the flock and helps a San Francisco filmmaker produce a documentary about them. The book produced mixed emotions in me. On one level, as a parrot lover and keeper, I could certainly relate to some of the experiences Bittner enjoyed - or suffered through - with the parrots. It touched me in many ways, as I think it would most people who share their lives with companion parrots. On another level, I found myself feeling concern about some of the ways in which he interacted with the flock. Some of the behaviors he describes in the book would make a good article about what NOT to do with a parrot - feeding them a steady diet of sunflower seeds, feeding them from his mouth, or letting a bird put its head in his mouth are some of the examples of definite no-no’s. Granted, they were wild parrots, not companion parrots; he was not their only food source, so as far as good nutrition goes, feeding these birds sunflower seeds would not be as harmful as feeding a pet bird nothing but sunflower seeds. Still, someone new to the world of companion parrots might not realize this. My negative reaction to these behaviors is exacerbated further by the fact he describes many of the articles he read about avian care in bird magazines as “somewhat priggish,” This viewpoint demonstrates not only a lack of knowledge about the subject, but reveals a touch of arrogance, given that he made these observations without having much, if any, background in avian biology, veterinary practice or ornithology. While I disagree with some of those practices, I did find myself in sync with him on some of his observations about the spiritual aspects of nature, how we can relate our spirituality to animals and how those relationships can provide healing powers for us. Many times I paused in my reading to think about what was written there. Despite the negative aspects of the book described above, I certainly enjoyed the story itself and I think anyone who shares their life with feathered friends would enjoy it. -
Reviewed by John Geary "They were compulsive noisemakers, and the noises they made sounded as though they sprang out of a deep well of silliness." - Mark Bittner, author
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