Wildlife 1

BH does not generally approve of spiders, taking a hard line with brush or vacuum cleaner with any caught inside. However, this one, right outside the kitchen sink has been spared for some days, of not weeks, partly because he is outside and partly because he is time limited by the window cleaner.

This morning he was busy, rebuilding the interior of his net. Radials all in place and he was slowly spiralling inwards, anti-clockwise, with the round and round part of the net. Intriguing to watch how he went forward about an inch, then stopped while two of his legs spot welded (as it were) the silk coming out of his spinnerets onto the next radial. I associated to knitting and crochet.

Caught here in the act of pulling the thread out to the next radial, visible if you click to enlarge. Oddly, shot not improved by turning off the flash.

We have yet to see any flies in the net. So presently, given the considerable energy cost of the filament, never mind making nets with it, in some considerable energy deficit.

PS: but later, around 1249, caught him feeding from a neat little parcel, maybe a couple of millimetres long. Things are looking up.