Annotated bird list for Santa Palmia, San Jose, California
This is a list of the species seen from a balcony in the Santa Palmia estate in San Jose, California, between 24 June and 7 July 2005. This is a modern apartment block complex with limited habitat for birds in the courtyard consisting mainly of shrubs and palm trees.
Species which were only seen overhead are marked with an asterisk *.
- Snowy Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
* - two singles and a couple seen over
- American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
- regularly hunting over, nest traced to a hole in a large palm nearby, at the base of the leafy section
- Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
* - group of 10 N over in the evening
- Feral Pigeon (Columba livia)
- common
- Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
- common; a nest with two eggs was observed on a metal drainpipe cover nearby
- Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)
- one or two regularly made rounds of the flowers in the yard; ID was confirmed on seeing the male, but at least two birds were regular, one of which is depicted below (not an adult male)
- Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorous)
- the most obvious bird in the estate, with a least 5 permanently resident on the small line of palms at the front entrance
- Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
- loud squeaking of a juv betrayed the presence of this delightful bird one evening, the adult busily fetching food for it around the yard
- American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
* - regular in small groups over, max 5
- American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
- occasional, preferring the larger lawns outside the complex; once squabbling with the Brewer's Blackbirds
- Eurasian Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) - present
- Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
- common, in flocks as large as 25 including young juvs
- House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
- most permanent resident of the yard, some almost always in sight or hearing, 5+ including young being fed
- Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria)
- regularly heard over and a pair in the "yard" palms one the morning; observed roving the entire estate later one afternoon
- House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
- regular in the "yard"
Other species seen locally some of which are probably regularly visible from the complex included:
- Great White Egret (Ardea alba)
- single S over SE side of town, c. HW82
- Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
- seen over dry hillsides to immediate E
- Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) - this species was tentatively seen and heard outside the courtyard, and based on call was suspected in the "yard" too
- Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii)
- single on a roadside tree by traffic lights on Monterey Highway
- Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
- a couple on wires over waste ground by the Evergreen Commons shopping area off HW101
Bird photos
This is a small selection of some of the species seen:
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) - female/imm
(for comparison, other pics of this species here)
Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
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