Photo credit: Judy Irving
Ponytailed, Beatnik-styled bird lover and “unemployed romantic” Mark Bittner co-starred with a flock of vivid green cherry-headed parrots in the celebrated 2005 San Francisco documentary “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill” by writer and documentary filmmaker Judy Irving. Judy, in a surprise ending, fell in love with her subject. In 2024 she “set Mark free” allowing him to follow the nomad life he loved until his death. Green Cities Fund is working with Judy and friends to erect a memorial plaque on Telegraph Hill where Mark loved and protected his colorful friends. His San Francisco Chronicle obituary is here.