Bird and Son Jarocho Ecologies

Information About Event

Join us for a unique outdoor gathering that weaves together ecological observation, cultural practice, and collective joy along the American River. The event begins with introductions and welcome by Dr. José Manuel Santillana Blanco and a guided bird-watching walk led by a Chicana biologist Liz Lopez, who will introduce participants to the local bird species, riparian ecosystems, and the deep relationships between land and migration. (9:30-11AM)

In the second half of the event, we transition into an outdoor Son Jarocho workshop led by maestra Yared Portillo, where we will merge birdsongs to introduce the jarana, son lyric tradition, and communal music-making process. Rooted in Afro-Indigenous traditions from Veracruz, Son Jarocho invites participation, improvisation, and collective presence. Together, we will explore how music, ecology, and place intersect—honoring the river as a living archive of sound, movement, and memory. No prior birding or musical experience is necessary! (11AM-1PM)

Please plan to arrive early as we plan to leave together. We will provide cafecito and pan dulce upon arrival. However, given that it is a day event, please feel free to bring lunch if you plan to stay for both the walk and workshop. Small snacks will be provided.

Location: We will meet at the Glen Hall Park Parking Lot and gather between 9 AM - 9:30 AM.

Physical Address: 5415 Sandburg Dr, Sacramento, CA 95819

Link to Google Address: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Glen+Hall+Park+parking+lot/@38.5794622,-121.4259492,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x809adb0039a7fd4b:0xd1fda3093a2fbb8b!8m2!3d38.5794622!4d-121.4259492!16s%2Fg%2F11ldsyq7tg!18m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDEyOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

What to Bring / Prepare For

For the guided bird walk:

  • Comfortable walking shoes (trail or sturdy sneakers recommended)

  • Reusable water bottle

  • Sun protection (hat, sunscreen, sunglasses)

  • Binoculars (optional but encouraged)

  • Notebook or phone for notes, sketches, or bird sightings

  • Curiosity and a willingness to listen closely

For the outdoor Son Jarocho workshop:

  • Your instrument (jarana, requinto, pandero, quijada, or other portable percussion), if you have any

  • Blanket, or mat for sitting (Please keep in mind that will doing a short 45-1hr hike)

  • Comfortable clothing for movement and sitting outdoors

General / River-friendly essentials:

  • Layers (mornings and evenings near the river can be cool)

  • Water! Stay hydrated!

  • Snacks or light food

  • Insect repellent

  • Respect for the land

Most Common Birds (English and Spanish)

Acorn Woodpecker Pájaro carpintero bellotero

American Coot Focha Americana

American Crow Cuervo americano

American Goldfinch Jilguero americano

American Herring Gull Gaviota Argéntea Americana

American Robin Petirrojo americano

Anna’s Hummingbird Colibrí de Ana

Belted Kingfisher Martín Pescador Ceñido

Bewick’s Wren Cucarachero de Bewick

Black Phoebe Febo negro

Brewer’s Blackbird Mirlo de Brewer

Bufflehead Porrón Buzo

Bushtit Carabuelo arbustivo

California Gull Gaviota californiana

California Quail Codorniz Californiana

California Scrub-Jay Chara californiana

California Towhee Toquí californiano

Canada Goose Ganso canadiense

Cedar Waxwing Apellido cedro

Common Goldeneye Porrón ojiverde común

Common Merganser Serreta común

Cooper’s Hawk Gavilán de Cooper

Dark-eyed Junco Junco ojioscuro

Double-crested Cormorant Doble cresta Cormorán

Downy Woodpecker Pájaro Carpintero Velloso

European Starling Estornino pinto

Golden-crowned Sparrow Gorrión coronidorado

Great Blue Heron Garza Azul Grande

Great Egret Garceta grande

Great Horned Owl Búho Cornudo

Hermit Thrush Zorzal Ermitaño

House Finch Pinzón común

House Sparrow Gorrión Común

Killdeer Ciérvido Tildío

Lesser Goldfinch Jilguero chico

Lincoln’s Sparrow Gorrión de Lincoln

Mallard Ánade real

Mourning Dove Tórtola común

Northern Flicker Carpintero norteño

Northern House Wren Cucarachero Común Norteño

Northern Mockingbird Cenzontle norteño

Nuttall’s Woodpecker Pájaro carpintero de Nuttall

Oak Titmouse Paro encino

Pied-billed Grebe Zampullín Picogrueso

Red-shouldered Hawk Aguililla de hombros rojos

Red-tailed Hawk Gavilán Colirrojo

Red-winged Blackbird Mirlo de Alas Rojas

Ring-billed Gull Gaviota Pico Anillada

Rock Pigeon Paloma Bravía

Ruby-crowned Kinglet Reycito coronirrubí

Snowy Egret Garceta Nívea

Song Sparrow Gorrión Cantor

Spotted Sandpiper Andarríos Picudo

Spotted Towhee Toquí moteado

Tree Swallow Golondrina bicolor

Turkey Vulture Zopilote pavo

Western Bluebird Azulejo azul occidental

Western Meadowlark Alondra Occidental

White-breasted Nuthatch Trepador pechirrojo

White-crowned Sparrow Gorrión coroniblanco

White-tailed Kite Milo de Cola Blanca

Wild Turkey Pavo Salvaje

Wood Duck Pato Joyoso

Yellow-billed Magpie Urraca picoamarilla

Yellow-rumped Warbler Reinita de rabadilla amarilla

About the Facilitators

Liz is a wildlife biologist with 15 years of experience in marine, aquatic, and terrestrial systems. She works for a consulting firm in Sacramento, and outside of work, she co-facilitates research projects with a small group of biologists who call themselves The Foothills Research Group, fostering her love of all things herpetology. Her passion for ecology and the outdoors is coupled with a passion for building community and promoting diversity in the biological field and in the outdoors as the Regional Program Coordinator for Latino Outdoors, Sacramento chapter. When she is not working her consulting job or volunteering with Latino Outdoors, she can be found gardening, teaching venomous snake relocation courses through Save the Snakes, dancing cumbia, and walking along the American River. 

Liz Lopez

Yared Portillo is a Ph.D. candidate in Learning Sciences and Human Development at UC Berkeley's School of Education with a focus on Language, Literacy, and Culture. She is a jaranera, leonera, guitarist, poet, and music teacher with over 15 years of experience. Raised in an agricultural Latine immigrant community in Santa María, California, her research interests sit at the intersection of music education, translanguaging pedagogies, and sociocultural approaches to learning. Her research examines the Mexican musical repertoires of a bilingual intergenerational Latine community, and the relationship between those musical repertoires and learning. Yared holds a B.A. from Swarthmore College and an M.S.Ed. in Reading/Writing/Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research has been supported by Ford Foundation and Public Mellon Foundation Fellowships.

Yared Portillo

José Manuel Santillana Blanco is a scholar, community organizer, and storyteller. As a son of Mexican immigrant parents, Dr. Santillana Blanco was politicized within the rural migrant farmworker landscapes of central California. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of American Studies at UC Davis. Drawing on the work of Black, Latin American/Latinx, and Indigenous decolonial thinkers, his work explores the ways Black, immigrant, and Indigenous women-led community struggles across the United States have been foundational to our understanding of racialized social life, ecological violence, and resistance across entangled geographies. His work has been published in Aztlán: A Journal for Chicano Studies, University of Washington Press, University of Nebraska Press, and Routledge.

Dr. José Manuel Santillana Blanco