By CATHERINE GRAHAM
Sentinel correspondent

Part Animal Planet, part valentine to the city of San Francisco, "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" features a story well told. Documentary filmmaker Judy Irving had been working on a six-part series about the San Francisco Bay Area’s open spaces and wildlife when she heard about the parrot guy on Telegraph Hill.

She thought she’d make a 20-minute short about Mark Bittner’s unique relationship with a flock of colorful birds. Then the project took on a life of its own. After filming for over four years, the happy result is the feature-length "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill," the kind of film you will never forget.

Perhaps because she started out with a short film in mind, Irving shot on film. When making documentaries, a process during which life takes its sweet time unfolding its essence, video would have been a much more sensible and cost- effective medium. However, other than some of Bittner’s home videos of his pals, Irving stuck to film for the duration of the project. Much of the film’s powerful impact comes from the quality of the film image.

In contrast to panoramic postcard shots of San Francisco, Irving incorporates extreme close ups of individual birds, vivid images in which each feather stands out in bold relief. Bittner had named each of the birds; as such, Mingus, Connor, Olive, and Picasso become characters as memorable and lovable as those in any feature film.

There is so much to learn about wild parrots. As it turns out, there are many wild parrot flocks throughout the United States, often near airports where one can assume some sort of handling accident led to their escape.

Nearly all the flocks survive in urban areas, where there is plenty of food from garden fruit trees, flower blossoms and bird feeders. Though originally from South America, the parrots are adaptable to cold weather; one of the largest flocks lives in Chicago.

San Francisco’s frigid summers are legendary, yet the flock of cherry-headed conures featured in the film thrives on Telegraph Hill. No one knows for sure how the birds got there in the first place, though the first pair was observed in 1987. Other parrots from the same species started showing up and making babies. When "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" opens, Bittner is surrounded by about 50 parrots, some on them sitting on his head, others eating out of his hand.

Articulate, well-read and homeless, Mark Bittner had arrived in San Francisco with the dream of becoming a rock star. He slept on rooftops and on the street until he came upon a 19th- century shack nestled on the side of Telegraph Hill. Smart and self-educated, Bittner spent his days reading Beat Generation literature, particularly the writing of Gary Snyder, who is credited with coining the term Dharma Bum, "a homeless seeker of truth."

While on the quest for the holiest of grails — the Meaning of One’s Own Life — Bittner befriended the flock of wild cherry-headed conures living in the trees outside his front door. With the patience of St. Francis, he endured long days of waiting until the wild creatures came to trust him.

After months of standing like a statue with his hands outstretched, the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill provided Bittner with the key to his life’s purpose, an enviable accomplishment for any human.

Filmmaker Irving captures an amusing moment as Bittner vacuums the bird droppings, feathers and scattered food from the sick and injured birds Bittner cares for indoors. She asks him when he’ll cut his very long, un-fashionably outdated hippie hair. Half facetiously he says he’ll cut it when he gets a girlfriend. As he continues to vacuum, the audience is left to ponder the mate who would willingly enter into Bittner’s parrot world.

Irving, who produced, directed, filmed and edited "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" smoothly integrates her own story into the film. Along with a photograph of herself as an 8-year-old, Irving relates the story of her grandfather who had taught her to feed wild chickadees. As an adult, a pet Cockatiel named Sweetheart introduced her to the parrot world.

Believe it or not, controversy swirls around the presence of the wild parrots (though, living in Santa Cruz we should know controversy can surround just about anything). Because the parrots are "not native," there are conservationists who would like to eliminate the flock, or at least lock the offending birds up in a zoo.

Irving explores this issue when Bittner must leave Telegraph Hill (the lot owners want to do a seismic upgrade and build on the property). It’s as heartbreaking as any Hollywood tear-jerker when Bittner must bid adieu to his fine feathered friends. But, in the tradition of family entertainment, the story does have a happy ending.

As wild animals, the parrots have some disagreeable habits, especially the violent ones around mating season. But, like many humans, the birds practice serial monogamy, and seem happiest when paired with a mate. They’re smart and adaptable, much like Bittner, who has published a book about what he’s learned from wild parrots in particular and life in general.

Good documentaries educate and illuminate while entertaining the audience with a good story. "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" is such a film.