I was out recently, doing drone surveys at a site near Fulbourn Fen. I spent most of the day looking up, until a dark spider wandered across the path - with obviously large jaws and a chunky little body.

At closer inspection it was a male purse web spider Atypus affinis. These are Nationally Scarce, and the only tarantula-related species found in the UK. They certainly look exactly like a miniature version – and I was slightly wary about getting too close with the phone – even though they are harmless!

They spend most of their life living in tube webs, so are rarely seen above ground. They are also mainly associated with the undisturbed chalk banks found at a number of our nature reserves – and require management of scrub to protect their habitat.

The next step when you find an interesting species is to report it - so that presence at a site is recorded - the Local Environmental Record Centres are the best way to do this in our area. You can find out how by reading this handy guide on wildlife recording.