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The Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
62 reviews for The Parrots of Telegraph Hill
These birds were here before all y'all moved in.
Sheesh-what kind of Grinch could hate 'em anyway?
If you can afford rent on Telegraph Hill you can afford a car and a place far away in the suburbs.
I love them beautiful, loud, and sociable. As is SF.
Don't like 'em? Go back to where you're from!!!
I live in Russian Hill, and see the birds flying just feet overhead on a daily basis. Especially when I'm relaxing on the roof. What a beautiful thing to have a tropical flavor added to the most beautiful city in the world - San Francisco. The movie is a delight as well, well worth the 80 minutes. And as noisy as they are, you get used to the noise quickly. If anything, their noise is a soothing sound that let's me sleep more peacefully.
Sadly, you are no longer allowed to feed the birds, because they were forgetting how to feed themselves. But they're still cute.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/17/2006
With apologies to Ze Frank: Who likes the little parrots in the park? I do, I do, I do,… Read more »
Recently discovered a place where they all go at 5:00PM for happy hour...I love these little guys! Awesome movie too. BTW, if you like conures/parrots and enjoyed the movie Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, then you'll really love the movie Paulie which stars a blue headed conure just like Connor in Wild Parrots before a tragic encounter with a hawk during filming ended his acting career. The film Paulie also has a sexy jenday conure, cherry head conure, and a nanday conure, along with a young Tony Shaloub (pre-Monk) and Cheech Marin. It's a very funny and touching movie...hard to find, but definitely worth looking for if you're an animal lover or into parrots.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/26/2008
Went for a nice long walk up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower just a little before sunset the other… Read more »
OMG... I'm a total bird person and have 4 feathered babies... I saw the movie and totally loved these spunky conures. Unfortunately I feel really bad for the people who have to live constantly around them. When Pineapple-Joey Pied Pie (my adorable cockatiel) gets into the mood of singing and screaming repeatedly a very off key version of Pirates of the Carribbean, it's enough for me to go bonkers. I can't imagine what it's like when these parrots go into screaming/singing mode.
Needless to say, it's still super cute to watch when they fly around. For a non-resident of Telegraph Hill... I think they're totally awesome~!
When they fly to Noe Valley for vittles during the summer months, it makes me smile.
I love parrots, and while I could never have such loud, boisterous conures as pets, I'm glad they have a nice toe-hold in the flora and fauna of San Francisco.
And to those who say they are detriment because they are non-native, I say pshaw, you're most likely not native either and we let you stay.
I love the movie and then...
SEEING some of the perch on the roof next door from my ex-boyfriend's house?!? OMG, they DO exist!
Effing A!
Yeah, they just fly in, chill out, talking to each other like it ain't no thang... but they are parrots! Cute widdle parrots in way northern California! We've got semi-awesome weather here most of the year, but it gets chill-ay!
Somehow they survive. I love this city.
Long story short, I loved the movie! I thought it was amazing. So I went to the area and I gazed upon the beauty of the Parrots. They're fun! I like staring at birds and hoping they don't shit on my sweater.
... Then I realized. 'Yea, it would totally suck to have these peckers babbling all day and night when I'm trying to work or eat. Period!"
If you haven't seen the movie "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" then you should be ashamed to call yourself a San Franciscan. These parrots are so adorable and it's so easy to personify them after watching that film. I was very pleased to spot them and to hear their cute, baby-like noises when wandering around whilst trying to distract myself from heartbreak. How can I be sad when poor Conor never found his lifelong mate and then fell prey to that damned hawk!? Some creatures have it so much worse!
Awwww how precious...how charming...how...utterly annoying.
Try working next to a flock of these things. Every time I walk to lunch, walk to work, sit at my desk, make phone calls, work on time intensive projects, etc. these little guys are running amok in the skies above my office and as much as you try to block them out, you find any effort to do so is futile.
Sometimes I try to forget that they are around, and then they start swarming and squawking and making their presence known. It's a bit of a surreal experience because when they're fluttering above you while you're walking down the street, you always think that some morbid fate is going to befall you... as if some large winged harpie is going to rip you to shreds. It's unsettling really, but mostly ridiculously annoying.
Shut the Hell Up, Parrots of Telegraph Hill!!
I must agree with Gwynnie....they're cute from afar but even
the Birdman of Alcatraz would lose it with these bastards
vacationing in his neighborhood.
For the past three months two of the Telegraph Hill gang seemed
to be using the fire escapes in my 'hood as their personal jungle
gym. Just recently, a third has joined the flock. The noise is
almost deafening when they really get on a roll.
I took a video of the original two in mid-squawk when a wee
little black bird started swooping down on them until they finally
took off.
It was great! Go get 'em 'lil black bird!!
Even the other birds are saying:
"What the Fuck?"
"I thought they OWNED Telegraph Hill."
"What the hell are they doing here?!"
"Christ... Do they *ever* shut up?"
It's easy to say...awwwww, but they're so cute. Yeah that's true...
when you have the freedom to walk away!
I just want to say that this was so sad :(
After seeing the movie, hike Telegraph Hill. The views are fantastic both of the Bay, the multi-milion dollar homes and most of all, the gardens.
You can go with the SF city guides on a free guided tour or go on your own. For some beautiful photos along the tour and detailed map of a suggested hike, please visit:
http://locomotoring.ne...
PS: The birds can also be seen as far as Fort Mason and along the gardens/trees near Embarcadero. In particular, the Sydney Walton park (http://locomotoring.ne...).
They are so green and so pretty. I saw them for the very first time near the Embarcadero...not believing my eyes.
When we moved to the area, we learned more about them. My brother rented the movie for us and we've been on the hunt to look for them, as well as my nieces with no luck.
The closest we've come to a flock of them, about 20-30, was when they flew above and landed on a tree near Green and Grant. We would have missed them if not for their squawking. It was a sunny and hot day but I was just so intrigued by them that I stood there in the scorching sun and watched. Totally amused and counting while wishing my nieces were with me.
Since that one encounter, we have come across them more regularly but still from a distance. Everytime we see them fly by, I'll say hi. Whenever I hear them squawk - the loudest early in the morning - I can't help but smile and think the parrots are having so much fun in that one big tree just blocks away. It's a fantastic way to start a day.
Sorry for those who live too close to them and not enjoying it. We live just a few blocks away, maybe just the perfect distance.
Saw the movie and then we had to come see for ourselves. I'd suggest watching it first - it's on Netflix "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005)".
Start at Coit Tower - take the tour - you'll like it if you like art - and then afterwards take a walk down the east stairways (on the Bay Bridge side).
1/2 of the way down there's a landing in the walkway - there's some signage about the birds - anyway - look up and listen I've been there three times and seen them each time.
Way cool!
dont f*** with em cause they will f*** you up.! They are beautiful and their main hangout is at the longshoremans hall. They chatter, chirp,whistle, fly from tree to tree.They be checkin YOU out too!..Its a parrots world...luv em from a distance... just too cute make you wanna stretch out your hand so they can fly down get a pet.... or maybe not.....hey! I saw Alfred Hitchcocks the BIRDS!!! they even watching from the picture!
Folks who don't live on the steps rave about these birds (because they get to leave them behind afterwards) but I'm with Gwynnie on this one. -after a while they make car alarms seem like lullabies.
There's a cranky "bird lady" next door to us who feeds them all day every day. Local friends & out of town visitors universally think it's so cool or cute to have these famous parrots near by, until they've been here for an hour or two and then universally they ask "how do you live with that godawful noise?"
The guy in the movie, while squatting/housesitting for a few years in a cottage on the hill helped grow the flock into the hundreds. He vehemently defends these feral descendants of someone's house pets as "wild" (while daily hand-feeding them) and wishes that the native-to-California hawks that pose a minor threat to them would just go away.
Though I'm an animal lover and we've a couple of pets of our own, that someone would love that much noise, up close and permanent, seems a bit nuts. I wonder if any of the artist/writer types that have lived long-term in some of the older cottages have given up and moved on from this spot, no longer tranquil as it had been for the previous 100+ years, thanks to one odd man's hobby?
Also not a fan because as the flock explodes in size, wherever these birds go to feed & roost they scare off the chill SF native birds (and I don't mean the pidgeons). - we used to have lots of little charmers here in the garden every day (5-10 years ago) and now it's Parrots or nothing.
Was going to give 2 stars for the movie but knocked one more off for the city council hearings that appeared to have been orchestrated in part to add dramatic content to the film.
Love them! They are nice to look at, there is a cute movie about them, and they COMPLETELY mesmerize my dog when they fly over Washington Square park. Plus, it's true, what other cities can claim random wild parrots?
I never lived along the back of telegraph hill where the squawks get rather loud, instead when I resided in north beach (off grant and union) I welcomed the bird calls as they passed over our house to their favorite spot. Much nicer a sound than the drunk kids stumbling down from the Tivoli to vomit on my lightpost.
I miss them now that we've moved, there's a parrot living across the street from us in the castro who gives me the whistle while i take out the trash, but still, it's not the same.
** UPDATE **
Apparently the guy who originally started feeding the parrots (and a small band of supporters) thinks it's an unnatural travesty to feed them since it's not just him doing it anymore. Ducks are just fine, but not the parrots. The board of supes has illegalized the practice of feeding the parrots. Most of the time, I love living in such a liberal city. This is not one of them. There was nothing wrong with humans interacting with these amazing birds and feeding them. Score one for the "protectors of wild animals."
** ORIGINAL REVIEW **
It's kinda like an Alfred Hitchcock movie, except the birds are pretty and they're nice to you instead. I've never had so much fun with birds crawling all over me. It's really a LOT of fun, a great thing to bring out-of-town friends to see. The park fills up with them a little while before sunset. They all congregate there to go to sleep at night.
If you want them to swarm you, here's what you do:
1) Get two forks from your kitchen drawer.
2) Buy a few apples and cut them in half.
3) Go to the park at the corner of Clay and Drumm at about an hour before sunset.
4) Stab a half apple at a time onto each fork and pretend you're a scarecrow.
This is one of those things that makes you glad to be an SF resident. I've been to feed the parrots about 5 or 6 times now, and can't get enough of them. It's also a really good workout. Your arms will get pretty tired holding up all the parrots after five minutes or so. Oh, also, you'll want to wear a hoody or be sure not to let one of them get bored if it's on your shoulder. They like to nibble, the way you might imagine an animal with a sharp vise for a mouth might nibble. If they don't have food to chew on, then ears will do. It's not out of malice, more curiosity than anything. Just the same, it hurts.
If you're entertaining kids or adults, this is an experience they'll remember. I'll add a few pix to my profile for this one.
So I was parking my car at Fort Mason on Thursday, and low and behold, a winged mass flies towards me as I get out of the car. I had to do a double take, because it appeared these birds were...green.
I rubbed my eyes, and refocused, but the green didn't go away. The 20 or so parrots landed in a tree right next to me.
It took me a few minutes to register what I was seeing. Parrots! The Parrots of Telegraph Hill. At Fort Mason. In a tree. Next to my car. Eating berries.
Brilliant green birds with red heads. It was beautiful and surreal. Like a Dali painting or an acid trip.
I hung out and watched them for about 5 minutes.
Before I left I asked one of them if he wanted a cracker. No answer, and goddamn it if he didn't roll his eyes at me.
Spending the night at my parents' house on Russian Hill is something I do more often than I'd like to admit. They have HBO. They have ESPN. They have food in their refrigerator. They even have a bed for me now that my brother is in college.
And some mornings, as I brush my teeth and look out the bathroom window at our neighbors' towering magnolia tree, I can even spy thirty or so parrots barely weighing on its sturdy limbs. Those beautiful, crazy birds never fail to put me in a great mood before work.
When The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill learn how to dive bomb the Wild Frat Boys of North Beach, I'll bump them up to five stars. (I'm trying to teach them.)
I often wondered what that obnoxious load screeching noise was...? It sounds as if a flock of birds are being tortured at the same time same place daily... At times I'd have to close the office window just to talk on the phone as the screech swarms by.
BUT... to discover the noises are PARROTS! Parrots of Telegraph Hill, oooh how exciting... Now I cant wait to hear the screech... I peer out my window every day at about 1:00pm when they flock whips by.
It makes me smile... And that my friend is priceless on a Monday afternoon!
Beautiful birds, in an almost natural setting. Just hang out on Napier lane for a while and you are bound to see them. Heck, go check out Napier Lane and the Filbert steps. Bring your camera and take a few pics. Please do not feed, or try to touch them. Every time you do, they become more and more domesticated.
Tip: The two Monterey Cypresses where they chill out may become 'protected' land.
Today at the Ferry Building everyone was gawking at the capitals of the Doric columns that are at the main entrance so I turned down the iPhone blasting Ghostface and what do you know there were two lonely parrots barking away at each other.
Being the savvy SF native and bird lover that I am I instantly yelled up at them "YO BROS YOU'VE LOST YOUR FLOCK CAUSE PARROTS ROLL HELLA DEEP BUT KEEP ON CALLING YOUR FEATHERED FRIENDS BECAUSE THEY BOUGHT TO RUN THROUGH HERE AND SWOOP YOU UP."
And in that second off they went.
I love them and I'm totally bummed that in my neighborhood the local birds are swarms of pigeons.
Hokay, so.
Not only did I read the book about the parrots but I went and saw the documentary! As a North Beach resident I have become slightly obsessed with the birds. They are definitely one of the cool, unique fun facts about San Francisco that I like to tell visitors about. I love the fact the fact that no one really knows where they came from and also that the neighborhood and the city come together every few years to save them from some new threat.
My advice for those who want to actually see the parrots, avoid trying to spot them around Telegraph Hill. Go to Maritime Plaza near the Embarcadero Center during the day and you'll most likely see a large flock hanging out in the trees making all sorts of racket.
I saw the movie many years ago. When I saw the parrots (probably 20 in a group), I couldn't help but love these adorable creatures. Having said that, I couldn't believe how loud a group of parrots can get. They really need to go back to their native habitat so they can roam freely in the jungle.
Last night I watched the documentary on KQED and I CRIED. Hardcore, open mouth CRIED.
I'm such a pansy.
During 17 years of city living, I'd heard many legends about the Parrots of Telegraph Hill but never actually saw them. I thought they were a myth - that is until I saw the documentary about them (such an awesome movie!) I fell in love with them and hoped for the day I would actually see them in person (sort of stalker-ish sounding, I know).
Then one day, as I was walking to the Ferry Building on my way home from work, I heard a familiar chattering sound from the sky. I looked up to see a flock of little green sprites flittering through the air. My heart raced a little bit and I think I gasped out loud. I felt like I had a celebrity sighting (sort of like the time I ran into J-Lo and Ben Affleck at Fred Seigel's in L.A., except way cooler and much more memorable).
I was here the last day that you can legally feed the birds (7/15), and it was quite fun..
Take away the fact that it may be bad for both feeder and feedee, and it was a fantastic experience.
Beautiful birds, landing all over you.. Luckily no poopage..
A wonderful, Wonderful, with a capital 'W', experience..
now, You can't do that.
I am happy that the law was put to best benifit for both human and bird in many ways.
We don't want to degrade the birds, and we don't want guests catching anything, that being a disease or a bird itself..
But the other part of me misses it..
i mean, There's just a sort of instant bond not between bird and man, but guest and guest.
There's something about having random people plopped down into a situation, like having a flock of wild parrots around you, and then instantly being sort of connected being that you're all on the same page.
Laughing at where the birds land, and how many birds are on you, or sharing seeds..
There's not many situations as simple as this where many, random people of many kinds can have fun and bond...
-fast forward-
...What I'm trying to say is that it's still nice to see the birds, but it's even more immersive when you're involved.
Again, I am totally for protecting birds and silly humans, but it's an experience lost..
thus, Not gaining my 100% approval stamp..
I work in the north waterfront area, and see the parrots every day. It's always a delight to be outside and have a flock of 20 or so suddenly fly by - man, are they loud.
To the people who feed them in Ferry Park each afternoon - STOP IT! They do not need to eat the food you provide them, and can often become ill from contact with humans. Our germs are different from theirs, ya know?
They are super cute.
They make a strange squawking sound, its fun to listen for.
I kinda miss them, no parrots in soma... some strange colorful sights and lotsa wild squawking day and night, but never as cute.
So my mother is an avid parrot lover, having one of her own, and was visiting the city. She saw the documentary and was ecstatic about seeing these birds.
I had never seen them myself in person so I did some research on where to find them. Theres a couple spots they frequent, the filbert steps, around coit tower, and the parks near embarcadero.
Following some reviews here, we went to the parks at Clay & Drumm just before sundown. They were in all the trees making a racket. I would suggest going there at least an hour before sundown and waiting if they're not there yet. After it gets dark its a little hard to see them in the trees, you can only make out what look like dark shadows.
SF is so awesome. I mean, how many cities in the US have their own flock of parrots? I usually encounter the parrots at the park by Fort Mason across from the Safeway. In the summer I would walk down Van Ness and set up shop for sunbathing under the two palm trees in the middle. Those little green love birds would fly in during the day and roost in the palm trees, squawking their little hearts out. I'd be on the phone and the other person would be like, "I can't hear you! What is that noise?" and I'd say, "Oh, it's just the parrots."
The documentary was really fabulous too. A must-see for anyone who moves here.
The movie is great and all but I guarantee if you spend a significant amount of time under the parrot flight pattern you will start to wish that they would just fall out of the sky. Those sumbitches make a noise worse than nails on a chalkboard. You might even dream of fire arms, despite being a pacifist who firmly believes in gun control.
What's better than working in the building right below where these parrots live?
Having meetings with people from out of town wondering where the hell all the squawking is coming from.
The Wild Parrots of San Francisco gather in the trees in the park at Clay and Drumm about an hour or more before dusk. (Check weather report for Sunset time). You can just watch, but if you want to feed them, bring either soft fruit (apples, grapes, etc) or nuts. Sunflower seeds in the shell are best. If you are bringing an apple, also bring some disposable chop sticks. Put a slice of the apple on one end of the stick. If you are bringing nuts, also bring an open container, like a pie plate or paper plate, to hold the nuts (seeds) available to the birds.
After a few minutes, the parrots will notice what you have to offer, fly down and land on your arm or head. You will be better prepared if you are wearing long sleeves and a hat. Their feet are little sharp, but not painful. They bite your ear if they feel that they aren't getting the food fast enough. Again, it hurts a little, but not painful. I have never seen anyone with a "soiled" garment, but it could happen.
Bring a camera if you want to document the experience and show the folks back home. It is an "only in San Francisco" experience. If you love animals, it is a great experience.
Definitely an interesting sight. Parrots. Not just your tiny parakeet on some guy's shoulder but I'm talking about the big green ones with some red. A huge flock that blends into the treeline. The squawking and berry seeds on the ground give them away though.
It's nice to see something interesting on my way home these days.
SUCCESS!!
May 22nd the S.F. Board voted 10-1 to ban feeding these parrots in any park in S.F. The birds will be healthier as they will now forage for their food the way nature intended and the many problems that were inherent in the feedings will come to an end or at least be minimized.
People will still be able to enjoy seeing the birds, but now they will see them as the creator meant them to be.
The supervisors are to be commended for their wisdom in giving the parrots the right to be wild birds and not pets.
For further understanding as to why this action has been taken, please see article at:
http://www.paws.org/wi......
Saw them for the first time yesterday. Some wrote that they scare off native San Francisco birds... if that means PIGEONS... then I will welcome it.
I look forward to seeing the movie.
My usual encounter with the parrots is actually during my run from Mission Dolores up through Alamo Square and on to Alta Plaza. Sometimes around Alamo Square you can hear this terrific squawking, definitely not the usual twitter twitter of birds. Then this cloud of parrots flies overhead. Apparently they roost out near 24th and Dolores St in the palms. I haven't had the patience yet to stalk them out there, I always happen to be there when they are out feeding.
I just ran into the other group on Telegraph hill today while showing the inlaws around town and up the Filbert steps. Very sad to read the posting that some people are taking advantage of the fact that the parrots have become inured to people feeding them and that some of them, including the infamous Nathalie mentioned here, have been kidnapped by some folks. Not sure how much is true, but if you love these parrots, you probably shouldn't be enabling their demise by feeding them and letting them think all humans are friendly.
