September 2013

In the Monthly News on this website, as well as in e-mail Updates to all our supporters, we have been discussing the importance of “Citizen Science.” For MMPC this “science” is done by those (professionals and avid non-professionals) who visit More Mesa and report sightings of rare birds, plants and animals. Their reports are important in helping us understand how the entire More Mesa ecosystem functions.

This month we share a most exciting sighting; one that was reported for two separate days, and on both sides of Atascadero Creek; the More Mesa side and the bike path side. This report, filed by photographer Eric Jacob is unique, as it is not only the first of its kind, but it is enhanced with some marvelous photos. Eric’s images document a California Long-tailed Weasel. Notice that the animal looks extremely healthy and, in one photo has captured a significantly large prey animal.

Eric Jacob has been added to the list of photographers on this site, and by clicking on his photo of a Snowy Egret on that page, the embedded link will direct the browser to a Flickr set of his images from “More Mesa, Atascadero Creek and Goleta Slough”. Eric Jacob also contributes photo observations to iNaturalist, and has added some interesting sightings – Steelhead Trout, Tree Frogs, and some usually overlooked plants such as Willow Weed.