South Pasadena Public Library to Show Acclaimed Documentary

Journeys of self-discovery typically involve long road trips, jaunts to faraway places or a series of traumatic events.

Mark Bittner's answers came in the form of colorful, winged messengers -- a flock of wild parrots.

The relationship between Bittner and his feathered friends was chronicled in the 2005 documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. The film earned reams of critical praise and will be shown at the South Pasadena City Library on Thursday evening, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.

Bittner himself will be there for the screening, a Q & A session and to read excerpts from his book, also called The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: A Love Story with Wings. He will also read pieces from his upcoming book, called Street Song. He said his newest book concentrates a lot on his living as "what would used to be called a 'street person'" without a place to call his own, before the parrots entered his world.

"I was staying on rooftops, staying in people's houses," said the 59-year-old Bittner, who is now married and owns his own home in San Francisco. "I come from a time when that was encouraged, when you were supposed to find your own answers, explore your creativity."

He calls the wild parrots "the doorway to everything in his life." The birds led him to write his book, and he had never viewed himself as a real author, though he enjoyed writing. This eventually led to him learning how to use a computer. Then came the documentary, where he met his wife Judy Irving, the director and producer of the film. Irving, Bittner said, had heard about him through word of mouth.

"When I first started [engaging with the parrots], I saw it as a nice diversion," he said. "Then I came to realize that they were the big change I needed."

Steve Fjeldsted, city librarian, realized that Bittner's tale was something that needed to be shared in South Pasadena, as the city has its own bond with flocks of parrots. He first saw the film at the Del Oro Theatre in Grass Valley.

"I think the ostrich was the bird of the city's past, and now the parrots are the bird of the city's present and future," he said. "We have parrots always around the library, where people just come out and are entertained by them. At the pet stores, there used to only a few of them ... now people are always asking questions about them. The flocks really seem to be growing and thriving."

Editor's Note: This story has been revised. An earlier version stated incorrectly the name of Mark Bittner's upcoming novel. It is called "Street Song."