A Reserve Walk with a Purpose

It was a fairly quiet day in relation to the hustle and bustle of the week, but this allowed us to finish and start various jobs that had been on the job list for some time. Even our computers got updated and made a little more user friendly.

It is not often we get to walk around the site together to look at the various up and coming jobs that involve the Higher Level Stewardship scheme, and general site management. One of the first areas we looked at was the heathland and surrounding area. Various flying crafts flew over the reserve giving a change of vista.

This Nursey Spider had created its brood tent and stood motherly nearby having carried her egg case for the past couple of months. The male is not present having risked life and limb to mate with her, distracting her with an tasty fly gift.

The spiderlings will soon be leaving the protection of the web tent.

This web is only made by the female spider to protect her egg case and young, and will stand guard until they leave the brood tent. She does not produce a web to catch prey but uses her stealth and speed to chase down her victims.

A walk along Risedale Beck in a rain shower added to the mystic of this beautiful area.

The Orchids are still looking stunning