My latest session down at Sandwich Coarse Fishery proved to be a total blank. Only one Carp being caught, between seven other anglers, whilst I was on the bank. It was still a very pleasant way to waste away a few hours and it was warm, if a little overcast on occassion, sat there awaiting the alarms to sound. One of the major spin offs, that I enjoy, from using electronic bite indicators is the freedom allowed to look at other wildlife whilst at the waterside.
It was the discovery of a (female ?) Scorpion Fly, devouring some hapless prey item, that first made me get the 18 - 55mm lens on the camera and grab a few record shots. I have no extension tubes to allow proper "macro" photography, so the images are nothing more than a token gesture. It is certainly something which might well change over the summer, because I'm really enjoying this type of encounter with invertebrates. The one obvious result of my looking is the realisation of just how little I know about such a wonderfully diverse group of creatures. And so it was again the sighting of a spider sp. which provided me with another encounter that I've not previously had.
To the best of my ability, this spider is from the "stretch spider" group, has been, tentatively, identified as Long-jawed Orb-weaver (Tetragnatha montana). Closer inspection revealed there to be numerous individuals on the leaves of the Stinging Nettles directly behind my swim. All good fun and a clear demonstration of why it is better to look, and be amazed, rather than worry about the fact you don't know what it's called? It could be that such an encounter ignites the spark which opens up a whole, new, field of interest because, as everyone knows, you're never too old to learn!
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