Field Trip - Chippenham Fen - 04/07/20 - A complete shock

Well at least i'm back in the same month! After missing a June post.

This was a catch report from Chippenham Fen during the first week of July.

I was joined by Trevor my mothing pal, and after a rendezvous at a local garden centre, we went in convoy West to Snailwell and of course our final destination, Chippenham Fen.

It wasn't a particularly warm day at max 22 degrees, but it was warm and cloudy at setting up time and was not set to drop below 15c, so we were hoping it would be good.

Unfortunately the wind picked up quite soon after dark and some of the traps that were bearing the brunt of the wind, ended up with half the catch 3 feet away from the trap and sheet.
The traps that were in a more sheltered position did ok, and some lovely species were observed.

I didn't take that many photos from the night, a lot I had already seen before.

Micros were few and far between with the gusty conditions. Perhaps the best moths for me were 4 examples of Cnaemidophorus rhododactyla, a moth I've encountered only once before in 2011 on the Essex coast, what a stunning Plume moth.

We stayed until around 1:30pm and were nearly packed up, Trevor was just packing up his last trap so I came over to lend a hand and see what moths he had.
Standing just to the left of the trap and with the light off (and only light from Trevor's lantern and my torch) my attention was suddenly drawn to a large black striped moth 'GEOMETRICIAN' I shouted 'GET A POT QUICK', with wings vibrating, as soon as I got near the moth it flew, 'Shit'... I think I cursed...
Trevor meanwhile acted on instinct and fired the trap light back up in vain hope of it coming back, I was searching the grass, the egg trays already on the floor from going through the trap, and then, Trevor spotted it again 'THERE IT IS, QUICK', carefully I approached the settled moth and it was in the pot and we were able to look at it.

I look at it again and no... it wasn't the Geometrician, it was something even rarer, a Grammodes species and later confirmed as Grammodes bifasciata, a Moth new to Britain!
Naturally Trevor was over the moon and we just could not believe it... I even said earlier, that the wind might blow something good in migrant wise, and it did!!

 

Catch Report - 04/07/20 - Chippenham Fen - Cambridgeshire - 4 traps - 1x 125w MV Trap, 1x 160w MBT Trap, 1x 250w Clear MV Robinson Trap & 1x 40w U-Tube + 15w Actinic tube & 15w Synergetic tube Trap

93 Macro species & 79 Micro species - 172 species in total

Macro Moths

Barred Hook-tip
Beautiful Hook-tip
Blackneck
Bright-eye Brown-line
Brown-line Bright-eye
Brown Rustic
Brown Scallop
Brown-tail
Brimstone Moth
Buff Footman
Clay
Cloaked Minor
Clouded Border
Clouded Silver
Clouded Brindle
Common Carpet
Common Footman
Common Rustic
Common Swift
Common White Wave
Coronet
Currant Pug
Dark Umber
Dark Arches
Double Square-spot
Dotted Fan-foot
Dingy Footman
Dingy Shell
Drinker
Dwarf Cream Wave
Early Thorn
Elephant Hawk-moth
Engrailed
Eyed Hawk-moth
Fen Wainscot
Figure of Eighty
Flame
Ghost Moth
Gold Swift
Grammodes bifasciata
Green Silver-lines
Grey Dagger
Heart & Dart
Iron Prominent
July Highflyer
Kent Black Arches
Large Twin-spot Carpet
Large Yellow Underwing
Leopard Moth
Lesser Cream Wave
Light Arches
Marbled White Spot
Marbled Minor
Mere Wainscot
Mottled Beauty
Miller
Nut-tree Tussock
Oak Nycteoline
Pale Oak Beauty
Peach Blossom
Pebble Hook-tip
Peppered Moth inc 1 carbonaria
Pine Hawk moth
Poplar Grey
Poplar Hawk-moth
Reed Leopard
Riband Wave
Rosy Footman
Round-winged Muslin
Ruby Tiger
Rufous Minor
Rustic
Scalloped Oak
Scarlet Tiger
Scarce Footman
Short-cloaked Moth
Silver Barred
Single-dotted Wave
Silver Y
Small Elephant Hawk-moth
Small Fan-footed Wave
Small Dotted Buff
Small Rufous
Smoky Wainscot
Snout
Southern Wainscot
Straw Dot
Striped Wainscot
Swallow-tailed Moth
Treble Brown Spot
Willow Beauty
Wormwood Pug
Yellow Shell

Micro Moths

Acentria ephemerella
Acleris forskalleana
Acrobasis repandana
Adaina microdactyla
Aethes tesserana
Agapeta hamana
Agapeta zoegana
Agonopterix alstromeriana
Anacampsis populella
Anania crocealis
Anania lancealis
Anania perlucidalis
Apotomis capreana
Argyresthia brockeella
Argyresthia cupressella
Argyresthia spinosella
Batia lunaris
Blastobasis lacticolella
Bucculatrix cidarella
Caloptilia syringella
Cameraria ohridella
Cataclysta lemnata
Celypha lacunana
Celypha striana
Chilo phragmitrella
Chrysoteuchia culmella
Clepsis consimilliana
Cnaemidophorus rhododactyla
Cnephasia longana
Cnephasia sp
Coleophora paripennella
Cosmiotes stabilella
Cosmopterix to check
Crambus lathoniellus
Crambus pascuella
Crambus perlella
Crassa unitella
Cydia fagiglandana
Dichomeris alacella
Elachista albidella
Elachista maculicerusella
Elachista obliquella
Endothenia ericetana
Epinotia tenerana
Ethmia dodecea
Ethmia quadrillella
Eucosma cana
Eudonia lacustrata
Euzophera pinguis
Exoteleia dodecella
Hedya salicella
Homoeosoma sinuella
Mompha ochraceella
Oegoconia sp
Pandemis heparana
Parapoynx stratiotata
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella
Parornix sp
Phalonidia manniana
Phtherochroa inopiana
Phycita roborana
Phycitodes sp TBC
Phyllonorycter nicelii
Phyllonorycter stettinensis
Phylloporia bistrigella
Pleuroptya ruralis
Plutella xylostella
Prays fraxinella
Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
Psyche casta
Pterophorus pentadactyla
Rhyacionia buoliana
Rhyacionia pinicolana
Scoparia ambigualis
Scoparia basistrigalis
Snycopacma sp
Stathmopoda pedella
Swammerdamia pyrella
Zeiraphera isertana

Grammodes bifasciata