“I noticed a pile of stones on a sloping bank and decided to turn over a few stones to see what I could find as I know those are good locations for spiders and other invertebrates,” said Mr Rowe.
“I was pleased to find it because it was my first jumping spider of the year.
“But after seeing it in more details on photographs I took, it didn’t look like other Heliophanus species I had seen before.”
Pictured: The Helipphanus Tribulosus spider found in Alderney (credit: Henry Rowe).
Mr Rowe has been a member of the British Spider Identification Facebook group for two years.
“I looked in an identification book and it didn’t compare to any of the four species found in the UK,” he said.
“I went onto a spider identification website for spiders in France and Belgium and found a match.
“I messaged a few people from the British Spider Identification page who all confirmed my theory and they said it was a great find.”
Pictured: Henry Rowe said members of the jumping spider family are “surprisingly cute” (credit: Henry Rowe).
Mr Rowe contacted the Alderney Wildlife Trust to report his finding.
“I was told that the last record they had was of multiple adults of the spider in 2004,” he said.
“I was chuffed because this is the first spider I have found that is not found in the UK.
“It is possible that the spider could be under-recorded in Alderney as I’m not sure how many people are out looking for and recording spiders there.”
Mr Rowe, who has been photographing wildlife since he was 12, encouraged islanders to take an interest in local wildlife.
“A lot of people I speak to don’t realise the amount of amazing wildlife we have right on our doorstep,” he said.
Pictured: The Heliophanus Tribulosus spider has not been recorded in Alderney since 2004 (credit: Henry Rowe).
“We may not have large mammals here but, if you spend some time looking at the smaller things, you will soon realise how interesting it is.
“There are all kinds of things out there that we have no idea about – for example, the new species of bat found in Guernsey recently that were only discovered through a survey.
“Not only is it nice to learn about our wildlife, it’s also great to watch. We are lucky to have a good amount of wildlife and it’s important to keep it that way.”
Pictured: Wildlife Photographer Henry Rowe.
Mr Rowe said any new enthusiasts to wildlife watching should keep a record of what they find.
“With a lot of our local wildlife, a clear photo is all that is needed to identify it, but some can be more challenging, like the Heliophanus tribulosus.
“There is a lot to be found in the Channel Islands. Stone piles can be good for finding spiders on colder days. As the days get warmer, you might be lucky to see one of the jumping spider species.
“Spiders get a lot of bad press, but if you take some time to learn about them you will realise they’re not a threat and are actually quite amazing.”
Pictured: A Gannett photographed by Henry Rowe.
Mr Rowe has also previously found a rare moth in Alderney called the Death’s Head Hawk Moth, which he found in a shed.
“I take my camera on walks with me and try to capture any wildlife I see including birds, insects and fungi [and] then I post them to local wildlife groups online.
“It’s a great way to clear your mind and there’s just nothing better than being out in nature.
“Wildlife photography has really hooked me and now I’m also doing some film making on YouTube to try and share all these awesome things that a lot of people don’t really know about.”
