Wild parrots of telegraph hill

[Kalidasa]

I just watched this DVD "The wild parrots of Telegraph Hill"...Jayyji had posted about it. It brought up alot of mixed reactions with me. I'm awaiting the book. Anyone (including Jayyji) have any thoughts about this story?

 

[Terry57]

I had never heard of it until now. I just googled it and will see if the book is available for my Kobo.

 

[BoomBoom]

I've heard it mentioned here a lot so I read reviews. Seems like a good quality documentary although I have never seen it myself. I think it is the type of docu that would make me sad and cry lol.

 

[Kalidasa]

I've heard it mentioned here a lot so I read reviews. Seems like a good quality documentary although I have never seen it myself. I think it is the type of docu that would make me sad and cry lol.

It didn't make me sad and cry, but there were definately some disturbing and sad elements to it. But the parrots! They were so beautiful! Cherry-headed conures, feral flocks living in San Francisco. And other species mingling with them.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I enjoyed the documentary, I used to see that flock flying around all the time as I was walking around the city. Especially when I was near the pier. It's awesome to know more about them, and the documentary also helps to keep them protected. The local parrot rescues sometimes take in the birds if they are injured or sick.

 

[Lintini]

My friend lives in the city and tells me all the time about them in her backyard eating up all her fruit trees and how loud they are hahahaha!

 

[MikeyTN]

I enjoyed it and I watched it when it first came out. I followed it for awhile but I haven't heard any news on it in ages.

 

[Jayyj]

I loved it, although the book for me fleshed out the story of the flock far beyond the film. Mark really interests me as well, someone who seemed very lost in life gradually finding direction through his relationship with the birds - the non-bird people I've recommended the film to have generally commented that it's as much a human interest story as it is nature documentary.

I visited Telegraph Hill in September and briefly chatted to someone who worked there about the conures - apparently they are still about but generally are only seen on the hill early in the morning these days.

In the UK we have a healthy population of ring neck, with the species now officially recognized as a British bird and numbering in the region of 20,000 individuals. Legend has it the original flock was imported to flesh out the set of a Lawrence Olivier film, and they escaped and began to reproduce and spread out: since we have a flock in Manchester and we're a good 200 miles from the original location I'm not sure how realistic that is as an explanation. Obviously all the same questions come up as to should they be considered a pest, should they be culled etc have been debated but so far they're hanging in there very well.

 

[Kalidasa]

I loved it, although the book for me fleshed out the story of the flock far beyond the film. Mark really interests me as well, someone who seemed very lost in life gradually finding direction through his relationship with the birds - the non-bird people I've recommended the film to have generally commented that it's as much a human interest story as it is nature documentary.

I visited Telegraph Hill in September and briefly chatted to someone who worked there about the conures - apparently they are still about but generally are only seen on the hill early in the morning these days.

In the UK we have a healthy population of ring neck, with the species now officially recognized as a British bird and numbering in the region of 20,000 individuals. Legend has it the original flock was imported to flesh out the set of a Lawrence Olivier film, and they escaped and began to reproduce and spread out: since we have a flock in Manchester and we're a good 200 miles from the original location I'm not sure how realistic that is as an explanation. Obviously all the same questions come up as to should they be considered a pest, should they be culled etc have been debated but so far they're hanging in there very well.

I should be getting the book any day now, I'm more interested in his notes about flock behavior and individual birds. I felt sorry for the guy, he clearly has some mental health issues that need to be addressed. I'm glad to hear the flock is still hanging in there...surely after he left others started feeding them as well.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

I watched that video when i first got Gilbert (because i heard there was a BCC in it...and Connor is one of my favorite characters too). I would love to see the wild flock...or any wild flock of parrots since i never have.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I loved it, although the book for me fleshed out the story of the flock far beyond the film. Mark really interests me as well, someone who seemed very lost in life gradually finding direction through his relationship with the birds - the non-bird people I've recommended the film to have generally commented that it's as much a human interest story as it is nature documentary.

I visited Telegraph Hill in September and briefly chatted to someone who worked there about the conures - apparently they are still about but generally are only seen on the hill early in the morning these days.

In the UK we have a healthy population of ring neck, with the species now officially recognized as a British bird and numbering in the region of 20,000 individuals. Legend has it the original flock was imported to flesh out the set of a Lawrence Olivier film, and they escaped and began to reproduce and spread out: since we have a flock in Manchester and we're a good 200 miles from the original location I'm not sure how realistic that is as an explanation. Obviously all the same questions come up as to should they be considered a pest, should they be culled etc have been debated but so far they're hanging in there very well.

Because tourist and people just hanging about can no longer feed the parrots they have no reason to stay around the hill for long periods of time as they did before.

 

[Birdman666]

I used to work in the City. The cherry heads frequented a nearby park where I ate lunch every day. Kinda fun to see them out in the world, acting just as goofy as they do in my living room...

Also one of the main roosting trees was damaged in a storm, and was cut down a few years back. They were roosting in a spot under the freeway last I heard.

 

[Jayyj]

The impression I took away of Mark was that he was someone who'd somewhat lost his way, and that the relationship he formed with the flock and in researching and documenting them provided him with an opportunity to shape and bring focus back into his life and put him at the start of the road to recovery. Again, the book gives a lot more information, and a better sense that this is an intelligent, thoughtful character - and he obviously has a lot of talent as a writer.

I've come across people who remind me of him in my own life, good people who just somehow fell into the cracks, and not all those stories end well. There's one I'm thinking of in particular who is no longer with us. So I'm very glad to know that Mark's future appears to be a positive one: he deserves a happy ending.

Copper, I was forewarned not to expect to see them now feeding is prohibited, so wasn't too disappointed. It was nice just to wander up through the gardens and go up the tower. Even our local ring necks are a fairly rare sighting - you wouldn't think a large group of bright green birds with screeches that can be heard a mile away would be so good at staying under the radar!

 

[Birdman666]

Actually, I've met Mark Bittner a couple of times when I used to live their... the Bay Area parrot community is rather tight.

 

[lquan]

Here in Southern California we have several different flocks of parrots. They fly over my house regularly and they are LOUD. I know of one large flock that has to be at least 100 parrots. I always wonder where this large flock spend the nights.

There is one small flock that seems to gather in 3 tall trees neighboring to my bike-buddy's house. Every time I go there, I always hear loud parrot chattering. The owner of the house knows about the parrots and he keeps the tree untrimmed for them. What a good man! A few months ago a juvenile was learning to fly landed in my friend's backyard. It couldn't fly back up the tree. My friend, who knows nothing about parrots, called me as he thought I would want a parrot in addition to my Lily. I came over, we looked and found the juvenile cowering behind the shed. I put on some leather gloves and got him. Thank goodness he wasn't injured. There were tons of parrots inside the 3 trees screaming. We went to neighboor house knocked on the door and asked the owner to help us put the juvenile parrot up his trees. The man was very glad we brought the lost parrot over. He perched the parrot on a tall bamboo and hoisted him back into the tree.

I have been reading California Parrots. There is a nice, but sad, on-going story about a female Yellow-Headed Amazon they named Tavia. Check it out, you will like it!

Parrots - Wild Parrots - Articles All About the Wild Parrots

 

[Birdman666]

Here in Southern California we have several different flocks of parrots. They fly over my house regularly and they are LOUD. I know of one large flock that has to be at least 100 parrots. I always wonder where this large flock spend the nights.

Parrots - Wild Parrots - Articles All About the Wild Parrots

Is this the Temple City flock of Amazons?

If so, the city imported trees from central america and used them to line the main roadway. The flock of primarily Red Lored and mexican redheads migrated north we think due to destruction of habitat issues, "found" and "reclaimed" their native roosting trees. Now they are apparently coming here for breeding season, and they are roosting in the top of the palm trees that line the center of the road.

 

[lquan]

Temple City is one block north from my street. It must be them. They look like Amazons but I am not sure of the species. There are lots of trees that can house parrots in Temple City and Arcadia. They use Rio Hondo Lake/Reservoir/Park beside my house for bathing and drinking, I think. I hear and see this large flock year round.

The reason I went to my friend house (5 minutes away) to see the juvenile parrot was because I was currious of the parrot species in Southern California. Those that flock by my friend house aren't Amazons. They have long pointy tails like Conures but much larger than Conures. They are not Ringnecks. I could never see any adults clearly. I couldn't make out the species from the juvenile either; he was all green with pinkish beaks. The man who owns the 3 trees thinks they are mostly Blue-Crowned parrots.

 

[Birdman666]

Temple City is one block north from my street. It must be them. They look like Amazons but I am not sure of the species. There are lots of trees that can house parrots in Temple City and Arcadia. They use Rio Hondo Lake/Reservoir/Park beside my house for bathing and drinking, I think. I hear and see this large flock year round.

The reason I went to my friend house (5 minutes away) to see the juvenile parrot was because I was currious of the parrot species in Southern California. Those that flock by my friend house aren't Amazons. They have long pointy tails like Conures but much larger than Conures. They are not Ringnecks. I could never see any adults clearly. I couldn't make out the species from the juvenile either; he was all green with pinkish beaks. The man who owns the 3 trees thinks they are mostly Blue-Crowned parrots.

There are blue crowns, cherry heads, and mitered's I believe, which is just another small ferral flock of conures similar to the ferral flock in San Francisco and are probably escaped wild caught pets...

The migratory flock is actually made up of mexican redheads and red lored amazons that moved north, and found their trees. There was 80 to 100 amazons migrating to temple city like clockwork for breeding season. Fascinating stuff really. Nature finds a way.

 

[MonicaMc]

I read the book first.

Then I took a trip to Hawaii and flew out of SF. After coming back from Hawaii, I went and saw the movie in theaters. The very moment the movie started playing, I was crying. Left the theaters and went to drive back to the hotel, only a block away from the theater and I heard the birds!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaDm05S4trU"]Fight to Flight - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6HQxyVSQ8g"]Squirrels Eye View - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNvqG7gyCKs"]Wild Parrots in a Tree - YouTube[/ame]



A little while later, Mark Bittner was a guest speaker at my local bird club. Went there, listened to him, got my book signed, and afterwards we went and saw the movie again! And sure enough, I cried the moment it started playing! I'm not normally one to tear up like that, but after reading the book, I knew what the movie was about.



Some years later, I was offered a cherry headed conure from the SF area and he was speculated to have been from the flock. Well, truth be told, although his parents are wild caughts, he's not a member of the flock! Nor is he a cherry head, for that matter! But hey, I got another chance (actually two, some years apart) to see the flock! And feed them, too! (before the ban on feeding the birds came into place)

There's also a flock of mitred conures on the island I went to in Hawaii, but I missed them. Couldn't figure out how to get to the volcano where they are living... I ended up seeing them on TV a couple years later! They were flying within said volcano, which made me even more sad that I missed the flock that I so badly wanted to see! I do have plans to go back to Hawaii this year (10 years later...), but it'll be to a different island! I haven't looked up what wild flocks are on Hawaii in recent years, so who knows if I'll get a chance to see another feral flock or not!