Gordon Clay here. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill will show December 7th at the First Friday Salon at the Chetco Library. It's a story of quiet patience and an observant eye which turns a seemingly unpromising subject into a rich and fascinating movie that captures the life of a gentle homeless musician who's befriended a flock of wild parrots in a neighborhood of San Francisco. The camera zooms in on individual parrots, revealing their individual personalities and the traits of their species.

This rambunctious flock of urban parrots, are the true stars, and their surprisingly humanlike behavior makes for a wondrous and rare experience. The film follows the ups-and-downs of these wild birds within the green niches of San Francisco as Mark Bittner befriends, feeds, and names the members of the flock.

Everything you expect from a Hollywood blockbuster--romance, violence, humor, sorrow, strong personalities in conflict--is here in spades, except that the heroes and heroines have bright red and green feathers. It's much more than just parrots, though. It's about personality, consciousness, and life and death and love. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill shows just how wondrously similar the human and animal worlds really can be.

First Friday Salon is a free evening to see and talk about documentaries that, most likely, would never show in the area. The series is sponsored by TheCitizensWhoCare.org. The movie starts promptly at 6pm on December 7th at the Chetco Community Public Library, with discussion to follow. For more information visit www.thecitizenswhocare.org/fridays.html