Title: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Author: Mark Bittner
Publisher: Three Rivers Press 2004
Genre: Nonfiction memoir
Pages: 288
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: T4MC -- Adjective in Title; Genre -- Nonfiction; New Author; Book to Movie
How I Got It: Loan from a friend
In this appealing, heartfelt account of one man's attempt to bond with wildlife, the author tells how he made friends with a flock of birds and in the process found meaning in his own life. In the early 1990s, Bittner, a 42-year-old who was still living like a "dharma bum," discovered that there were wild parrots in the trees and on the power lines near the house he was caretaking on San Francisco's Telegraph Hill. Having nothing else to do, he decided to feed the birds on his fire escape and occupy his time by observing them. Soon they appeared every day, noisily demanding seeds, and for the next few years, he devoted most of his time to the wily and comical birds, which turned out to be cherry-headed and blue-crowned conures-escapees that originally had been caught in South America-and their progeny. Crowds gathered outside his house to see him with the parrots perched on his arms and head taking seeds from his hands, and he became famous as "the birdman of Telegraph Hill." Because he found that each bird had its own personality, he named them according to their individual characteristics, and in this charming record of their activities, they seem almost human. At a time when he lived like a hermit, the birds brought him joy and became his only friends. It's a bittersweet story-that is, until a documentary filmmaker shows up at his doorstep.
One of those books that had caught my eye at some point, but I never actively sought it out. A friend noticed it on my Goodreads To Read shelf and lent it to me. The book started off slow for me. I was not really enjoying learning about Bittner's early life or search for meaning. I was on the verge of giving up on the book, but I stuck it out a bit longer. He hadn't even encountered the parrots yet. I had to at least read until then. Once he encountered the flock, my interest in reading the book spiked. I found myself fascinated by the different bird personalities. I wanted to figure out the meaning behind their behaviors just like Bittner. I found myself growing attached to various members of the flock. Eventually my heart broke when some died. I felt joy with their triumphs. I was scared when hawks were spotted. I was pulled in the world of this anomaly. I loved the entire middle section of the book. As the end neared, my interest waned with the reintroduction of Bittner's philosophy and general life beyond the birds. I finished, but my disinterest in those sections knocked the book down a star. Still, a wondrous read. Next time I venture into the city, I'll sure be on the lookout for the parrots.
Movie:
Pretty much the book. But we get to see beautiful moving images of the parrots. The one thing the books had lacked: color photographs. Watching the movie I finally got to see what they actually looked like. Very enjoyable film, but probably not necessary to watch the film and read the book. One would have been sufficient.
