As my life in California drifts farther behind me, I’m given to fits of sentimentality … especially for the wildlife and wilderness we left behind. Among my emotional favorites are the wild parrots of San Francisco — actually, Red-masked Parakeets or Cherry-headed Conures. These are the celebrity birds featured in Mark Bittner’s The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.

I always loved the parrots. But I grew genuinely attached to them after intercepting some would-be parrot thieves … knuckleheads who were probably too inept to catch a bird but who were harassing them, nonetheless. After that incident, Hugh and I joined the Parrot Patrol, a local group of parrot patrons who regularly check up on any reported incidents involving San Francisco’s wild conures.

I found a few images I never processed or posted, either for lack of time or perspective. As my RAW files devour my external drives, I’m going through archives, culling and converting the surviving images to DNG. I’ve made it back to 2009 … where I came upon this set of parrot photos. I make no secret of my love for urban wildlife images. The parrots are particularly entertaining to watch and photograph, because of their acrobatics. It’s tough not to fall in love with a parrot, hoisting himself by the beak, into a red light or walk signal.

Related parrot posts: Admiring — But Not Feeding — San Francisco’s Parrots | Parrot City

San Francisco Wild Parrot in Traffic Light
Wild Parrots in San Francisco Traffic Signal
San Francisco Red-Masked Parakeets Playing on Crosswalk Signal
San Francisco Wild Parrots in Traffic Light

Wild Parrot of San Francisco in Traffic Light

Directing Traffic – ©ingridtaylar

Wild Parrot in San Francisco Walk Signal

Walk Signal Argument – ©ingridtaylar

Red Light on a Red Face – ©ingridtaylar

Wild Parrot in San Francisco Traffic Signal

Hunkered Down – ©ingridtaylar