Next time you are on the streets, watch for this SoMa Bird Man.
A recent Monday, 10:59 a.m.: Cliff McBride sits in the back room of his small SoMa apartment with two white Umbrella cockatoos clinging to his shoulders. They’re my kids, he said. I’ve had them for 20 years. Monday is errand day. Nikko, the male, 29, wanted to stay home. This is his castle, and he protects it if I’m gone,”McBride said. However, Trixie, 22, decided to go on the road with her keeper. First they hit the ATM, then Walgreens, then the pet store. At the playground, some of the nannies tried not to stare as a white plume caught the corner of their eye. McBride, 49, has gotten used to the looks. The commitment to these birds can sometimes last 85 years, and it’s a job this retired trucker doesn’t take lightly. ÒI chose to have the birds, and it is my responsibility to put them first, and that’s what I do.”
