I haven't seen the movie or read the book, but the first question that
jumped into my mind was answered by his FAQ at
http://www.markbittner.net/parrot_pages/faq/nativebirds.html
"Are they bad for the native birds?
This is a matter of some controversy. There are people who believe that
because the parrots are non-native they are bad. End of discussion. I
don't agree. First of all, there is plenty of food available in the
city. Contrary to rumors spread by those who hate all non-native
species, the parrots do not attack the native birds. They squabble among
themselves, but they leave other birds alone. They seem totally
uninterested in non-parrots. As far as stealing nests goes, it's
interesting to note that the parrots nest in eucalyptus and Canary
Island date palm--both non-native trees. (It's also interesting to note
that most people who despise non-natives are of European descent.) The
parrots make fine ambassadors for Nature, bright and noisy enough to
grab the attention of jaded city dwellers, even turning some of us into
birders."
He doesn't mention anything about competition for food. It appears that
he found a colony of 26 birds and it has increased to 200, possibly due
to his feeding them. I wonder what the reaction would be if this
happened here?
wrote on :
> News item this week that the City of San Francisco has
> assumed responsibility for the trees made famous by the Wild
> Parrots of Telegraph Hill book and movie - the landowner was
> considering removing the trees for safety reasons - the city
> has now taken over maintenance and insurance of the two
> ageing Monterey Cypresses to ensure they are retained and
> that the landholder is not liable for any problems . The aim
> is to keep the present trees alive and relatively safe until
> replacement trees grow
> http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/02/14/MNG
EVO4DQJ1.D
TL
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