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Tell us what you think >>
Selected submissions will be posted here regularly, so visit again to read more
comments.
Many people have written in to ask about Mark and the parrots' experiences since filming concluded; find answers and updates on The Film, The Parrots Background and Updates and filmmaker Judy Irving and Mark Bittner's Q&A pages.
5/30/07
William Rowland
These Parrots may not be natives of the US but they do fill the void and nitch of the now
extinct Carolina Paraquete and these parrots have simularies to the extinct birds. Who
ever turned them loose should be condemn to a life in prison. IF you can not take care of
pets for their entire life time then you should not have them. It should be Federal law
that pet owners should be required to have a license to own a pet and each individual pet
tracked through it's lifetime to prevent damaging the native enviroment which has happened
in Guam and Hawaii not to mention the Mainland. As long as there are hawks in San
Francisco---these parrots will be kept under control. However, I am surprize that the
Hawks go after the parrots instead of pigeons.
5/30/07
Emilee
My Mother and I just finished watching your film. We loved it and love the work that you
and your wife are doing! Keep up the good work and congratulations on your marriage! We
live near the airport and have tried to save parakeets that have escaped from airport
shipments. Unfortunatley, New York winters are much harsher on our warm weather friends
than Sanfransico. Some flocks of green parrots have remarkably been able to survive by
living close to the electric lines in brooklyn.
5/30/07
Fort Myers Florida
Wonderful, wonderful story and filming of the wild parrots, their personalities and
interaction with Mark. Mark is a true gentle man and we should all take a leaf from his
book in how we can all commune with nature. I love birds (whistle to the mocking birds
often and listen for their whistle back to me) - they do! I love dogs.I love nature and
often much prefer that species to the human one. I totally agree with Mark in believing
that animals and birds have genuine, unconditional feelings and are very intelligent.I am
delighted that Mark finally met his "mate', is married and back living on Telegraph Hill
feeding the parrots again. My final word is - allow the parrots of San Francisco to
continue to co-exist with the native species. America is a country of immigrants.
5/30/07
Luanne
I am so deeply moved by this gem of a film. When Mark was retelling the story of Tupelo I
just broke down and cried at the kindness that still exists. Wonderful ending...no more
ponytail and in love with the producer/director! Just fantastic.
5/30/07
Raechel Morris
Thank you Mark Bittner for watching, listening, caring for that ultimately being an
advocate. I raised a baby starling and released her-- and without a doubt she was smarter
than any animal i have ever had aas a pet. I had a dream a few nights ago that I had gone
to a local pet shop and release the caged parots. Then tonight I saw you on PBS. I am an
animal advocate. You are a kidred spirit--- thank you. ps and connor- there is nothing
better than a bird flying and living free-- esoteric paths teach wild animals need to be
left free-- you let connor chose--and he taught us all--he chose his freedom even w/o a
bird of his species -not a cage. If people stopped buying birds-- they would be left in
their own habitat-- free. connor has left a lasting impression on me. I know why mark
adored him.
5/30/07
Lupe
Litchfield, Maine
What a wonderful program. I grew to love some of the parrots in such a short time. Mark is
a lovely man and so glad he had the opportunity to care for and care about the birds. So
glad that he too found a mate. I wish there had been some identified photos of Tupelo,
Mingus and Connor. Thank you.
5/30/07
Tracy Hertel
South Bend, Indiana
God bless you Mark Bittner. The work you do is worthy of human admiration.
5/30/07
Vincent Lucas
Naples, Florida
I liked the film and especially Mark. Here in South Florida, we have many psittacids, most
of which are breeding, especially in the Miami area. I live on the other coast of Florida
i.e. Naples on the Gulf of Mexico. here we have a very species, most notably Rose-ringed
Parakeets, Red-lored and a few Blue-crowned. For some pix go here:
http://caloosabirdclub.smugmug.com/gallery/1156727#53979967
5/30/07
Jill
Milwaukee, WI
I am so glad that San Francisco decided to leave the parrots alone. I thought this was a
very interesting program. It's good to know that there are still people who care : )
5/30/07
Rich
Memphis, TN
Best film I've seen in a good while and the music is AWESUM. Who IS the artist(s)? What a
touching story.
Editor's Note:
You can find information about the soundtrack for WILD
PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL on the Film Credits page of this site >>
5/30/07
Don Lyman
I enjoyed the film immensely. I lived and worked in Santa Rosa, California for a couple of
years, and frequently come back to the Bay Area to visit friends. I was surprised to learn
that there were wild parrots in San Francisco, as I had never seen nor heard of them.
I teach college biology part-time here in the Boston area, and I'm always telling my
students about the negative effects of exotic species; but, I have to say, these beautiful
birds seem to compliment the beauty of San Francisco. I am drawn to the study of biology
from both aesthetics and scientific curiosity, and in this case my aesthetic side wins out
over my scientific side. ;)
I was really worried about Mark and the birds after they were forced to part company. I
was happy to find out that he's back on Telegraph Hill near his parrots, and that he and
Judy got married. Congratulations! Thank you for such a wonderful story.
5/30/07
Peter Orilia
Long Island, NY
As a "parent" of a 20-year-old Janday Conure ("Chewie") I can say unequivocally that
parrots possess mental abilities far beyond what contemporary science admits. Actually, a
recent NY Times Science Tuesday article on birds advanced the notion that birds brains are
wired differently than ours (in electrical terms we a wired in „series‰ whereas birds are
wired in „parallel‰, hence their thought processes and capabilities are extremely
understated).
Chewie exhibits behaviors equivalent to a child of 3-4 years old. Although his breed is
only capable of speaking a vocabulary of less than a dozen words and a variety of three
dozen whistles, caws, and occasional screeches, Chewie has the ability to convey love,
hunger, danger, joy, anger, contentment, aloofness and many other emotions. Everyone that
knows him is amazed at the depth of his personality and intelligence. „Hello, Bye Bye,
Want Some, Come Here, Grape! and Take (a bath)x2030; is the extent of his repertoire but he
gets his point across.
I pray that a sequel is in the making „The Return of the Parrot Master of San Francisco.
Bravo!
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