Like many, my parents emigrated to California during the 1960s as teenagers in search of a better life. Ironically they were both born in nearby towns in Ajijic and San Miguel el Alto, MX, but they didn’t meet until later in Santa Ana, California. There, they married, settled, and created their own nest and flock, like birds that migrate in search of new nesting sites and food for foraging to provide for their families.
I feel a deep connection to birds. I feed the Wildbirds, provide water sources, and watch them in amazement for hours on end. I engage with my local crows and corvids; they are incredibly smart. I always feel like they converse back and forth in dialogue. They remind me that their flocks have lived in and around the trees longer than I and that I am on their territory. I always look forward to the spring visits of the orioles, grackles, and mourning doves as they begin breeding in the trees. They are incredibly resilient and ingenious with their nesting skills. I see the growth of their fledglings, and it’s endearing. Some birds migrate, and some are natives. Just a constant reminder that we are in their world.
I am no longer a fledgling. I have migrated myself towards Riverside, and am creating my own nest.
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I felt a turn in the tide when I changed my major to Outdoor Recreation. I did not learn about Outdoor Recreation as a field of study until my second year of college. A family friend asked me, “Hey Esme, have you thought about studying Parks and Rec?” I was quite appalled that I had no clue that the activities I loved to do most were part of something bigger or could be part of a field of study. When I started college, I declared Photography as my major as I enjoyed photographing people and places.
“Hey Esme, have you thought about studying Parks and Rec?”
I grew up in Fort Bragg, CA, a popular tourist town along the California coast, where I would spend hours at the beach photographing the landscapes and sunsets. During my high school years, I took portraits of friends for their senior portraits and started a Facebook page of my photography so that people could see my work and refer me to their friends. It was a “side hustle” that I started for myself and one of my first experiences in entrepreneurship. Soon after, friends from my hometown started asking me if I could photograph them for their Quinceañeras! It felt fulfilling to be present for other people during their ceremony. It is truly a blessing to be able to capture the precious moments of a special occasion.
When we go through life changes, we can almost intuitively sense that we are passing into a new chapter of our lives; I certainly felt that when I changed my major. After practicing photography as a job, I realized that I did not want to do that for a living. I did not like the aspect of sitting behind a computer for hours editing pictures. I just wanted to be outside every opportunity that I got! My favorite part of photography was being outside and just being in the moment. It will always be a part of me, and I will still practice my skills when I get the chance.
This past summer, I was able to practice my photography skills on Black Oystercatchers. I used my 75-300 mm telephoto lens to capture close images of the birds. My observation partner, Dave, guided me towards all the spots where the Black Oystercatchers would be nesting over the summer to lay their eggs, feed, and care for their young. There were about seven different pairs of Black Oystercatchers we would visit weekly. Tracking the weather, seasonal changes, and the state of the Black Oystercatchers’ nests as the chicks grew offered quite a unique experience.
It all began when I was invited by my family friend to volunteer with California State Parks for this Audubon Bird Survey.
It all began when I was invited by my family friend to volunteer with California State Parks for this Audubon Bird Survey. The orientation meeting was held at the California State Russian Gulch Recreation Center, where I learned that this was the ninth year that the Bird Survey was going strong. There were several people who were experienced and some for whom it was their first time, such as myself. As I sat and listened to the presentation about Black Oystercatchers, I learned about the different behavior patterns of the birds and how to navigate along the coast to spot the birds. As I looked around, I found I was not only one of the youngest people in the room but also the only person of color.
As I looked around, I found I was not only one of the youngest people in the room but also the only person of color.
This had not been the first time that this occurred to me. I was used to this in the field, though I do not always feel comfortable in these moments. Yet I know deep in my soul that it is in these moments that personal growth happens. When I step outside of my own perspective to learn from others and about myself, I begin to understand the barriers that hold me or others like me back from these types of experiences. It may be time, finances, or not having the resources to try something new. It is not always easy for people to commit themselves to something outside of their own knowledge or understanding. It takes courage, which is something I believe every person has. Some just need a little guidance to realize their potential.
As the young Black Oystercatchers go through different stages in their life and learn to survive and grow in the environment around them, so too do people.
As the young Black Oystercatchers go through different stages in their life and learn to survive and grow in the environment around them, so too do people. We all need someone to guide us, and it takes time and commitment. Although it is now winter, when I go outside on a walk to the coastal trails I sometimes hear and listen to the call of the Black Oyster. They remind me of the sunny days and the definition of resilience. If they can survive the cold and harsh tides, then so can we.
Esme Plascencia is a first generation immigrant and college student. She was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico and raised in Fort Bragg, California. Upon graduating Fort Bragg High School, she moved to Sacramento to start her journey in higher education at Sacramento State University. She is currently a senior student majoring in Recreational Parks and Tourism Administration and aspires to become an outdoor educator/guide.
Guadalupe Pérez González, my maternal great-great-grandmother, was born in Querétaro, Mexico. Orphaned at a young age by the loss of her parents during the Mexican Revolution, she endured many hardships in life.
Guadalupe Pérez González in Fresno, California
Sometime around 1930, Guadalupe and her two children (Phillip and Mary) journeyed north to a border town called Mexicali, where they would remain for about twenty years. She labored hard over a stone stove top to produce tamales for sale and eventually purchased a humble home for herself and children.
Grandma Eleanor and siblings during a rest stop while travelling for work.
Mary married Leon Torres Ruiz, and gave birth to my grandma Eleanor in 1940. About 10 years later, my great-grandpa Leon moved the entire family to El Centro, California. They became migrant workers and labored at farms across California’s San Joaquin Valley, eventually making Fresno their permanent home.
My family came to the US in pursuit of a better life. From their journey, I have learned that the meaning of “a better life” is often incomplete unless it includes the process of (un)learning, healing, and growing.
Ruby prepares a meal with her Latino Outdoors team
So much of my cultural heritage was lost to assimilation. While this disconnection is a painful experience for me, nature supports me with feeling connected to myself, my history, and everything around me. Being involved with Latino Outdoors (LO) helps me reconnect to my culture and embrace my experience as a third-generation Mexican American. Through LO, I am learning about the many facets and richness of the Latinx identity.
Ruby with her three children in Humboldt County
I was twenty-seven years old when I left Fresno and made my own journey nearly five hundred miles north to Humboldt County. For six years, my three children and I lived there while I finished my undergraduate studies and tapped into the woman and mother that I wanted to be. Close to the end of my time in Humboldt, I shared with my grandma my experience of living away from home in the most beautiful landscape I’d ever seen. On that day, I learned that I was living her dream.
Ruby with her grandma Eleanor, mom, and daughters in Downtown Fresno
While in Humboldt, I slowly connected with barn swallows, Canadian geese, and snowy egrets as I observed them from my apartment window. Returning to Fresno was an adjustment; however, I do see snowy egrets passing over my home. They serve as a reminder that nature knows no bounds.
What’s Your Migration Path?
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