The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

This afternoon, we watched The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. We perched ourselves on the couch and chairs and shared a big bowl of popcorn. Usually Milo loses interest pretty quickly and retreats to tower building or crashing. Skylar and I immediately became captivated by the birds and by Mark Bittner. I’m not really a bird lover or bird watcher, but Mark’s story is heartwarming and enchanting.

Mark Bittner was born in 1951. After spending 4 months hitchhiking through Europe he landed in Berkeley, California where he worked as a street performer. After realizing that his musical dreams were about to go asunder he found himself in North Beach of San Francisco where he spent 15 years “studying “Eastern” religions and other subjects that interested him: history, Italian, guitar, and clarinet”. In 1988 he became the caretaker of a house on Telegraph Hill. After two years he spotted 4 parrots in the gardens. After 3 years, 4 became 26. And this is where his journey with the parrots begins.

The documentary begins with Mark feeding the parrots and chatting with passers-by who are either fascinated or somewhat disgruntled by him. He hand feeds the parrots and they all seem to trust him enough to do so. Throughout the documentary he maintains an intimate understanding of the birds and their personalities and activities. He often discusses the bird’s relationships, reproduction, and even deaths as if they were human. He has a rare view of these extraordinary creatures, and gets to know them in ways most ornithologists probably dream about.

As related to unschooling, Mark is being added to my “Ultimate Unschooler” list. After school, Mark found his own way, he learned what interested him, and he followed what delighted him. Not only did these things lead him to having an important place in this world as an advocate for these parrots, but he found his present wife, and is has now become interested in writing. He seems like a genuine person who is content with his life and where it has taken him. I love that.

I really suggest this movie for anyone interested in birds, in parrots, or in the human spirit. In the words of Skylar, this movie “makes my heart feel warm”.