Chippenham Fen - Field Trip - 18/05/22

I was joined at Chippenham Fen by Leslie Gardiner, fellow moth enthusiast and long-time birder whom lives just round the corner from me.

It was a nice warm day on Thursday, with highs of 18 degrees, and as I pulled up at the reserve, the car still read 16 degrees at 8:15pm.

With little wind, it could be good I thought.

But, the warmth did not last, the breeze got up at times and eventually the sky cleared at arond 11pm and a noticeable drop in temperature was felt, so much so that I had to get the coat from the car!

Leslie brought some cheese straws to munch on whilst we sat on the bench mulling over pots that contained moths.

But we couldn't sit for too long as we were getting a bit chilly, so pacing around with our nets was the order of the day.

Moths came in dribs and drabs, most species represented by singletons which was rather harrowing to see, especially as we are nearly in June!

 

But we soldiered on and made a list which works out at 57 species, fairly poor for this time of year, infact on a normal year? I would be expecting around 100-120 species over 4 traps in good habitat.

This worrying trend is not isolated and is being reported nationwide sadly.

Lets hope things bounce back soon.

Best moths included a few newbies for Leslie, like Argyresthia spinosella and Carpatolechia proximella.

The first tiny plumes were on the wing, Adaina microdactyla. A cracking pale coloured Clouded-bordered Brindle, a knackered Grey Birch, jazzy Phyllonorycter klemannella and a smart and maybe slightly early White-point.

All in all a pleasing few hours.

18/05/22 - Chippenham Fen - East Cambridgeshire - 4 traps, 125w Mercury Robinson Trap, 250w Clear Mercury Robinson Trap, 160w MBT Trap and 62w Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Barred Hook-tip 1
Brindled Pug 2
Chocolate-tip 1
Clouded-bordered Brindle 1
Common Carpet 1
Common Pug 3
Common Swift 2
Common Wave 2
Common White Wave 1
Coronet 2
Cream Wave 2
Dwarf Pug 1
Flame Shoulder 4
Flame Wainscot 5
Garden Carpet 1
Green Carpet 15+
Grey Birch 1
Latticed Heath 1
Lime Hawk-moth 1
Marbled White-spot 1
Mottled Pug 1
Oak-tree Pug 2
Orange Footman 1
Pale Prominent 3
Pale Tussock 10
Pebble Hook-tip 1
Pebble Prominent 2
Pretty Chalk Carpet 3
Red-green Carpet 1
Red Twin-spot Carpet 1
Reed Leopard 1
Rustic Shoulder-knot 1
Scorched Carpet 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart 1
Silver-ground Carpet 1
Small Square-spot 1
Spectacle 1
Waved Umber 2
White-point 1
White Ermine 3
Yellow-barred Brindle 1

 

Micro Moths

Adaina microdactyla 1
Agonopterix arenella 2
Argyresthia spinosella 1
Cameraria ohridella 1
Carpatolechia proximella 1
Cochylis atricapitana 1
Dichrorampha acuminatana 3
Elachista humilis pos 1
Epinotia immundana 5
Monopis weaverella 3
Notocelia cynosbatella 1
Notocelia trimaculana 1
Parornix sp 1
Scoparia ambigualis 8
Scrobipalpa costella 1
Tinea trinotella 1

Adaina microdactyla

Argyresthia spinosella

Carpatolechia proximella

Clouded-bordered Brindle

Grey Birch

Notocelia cynosbatella

Notocelia trimaculana

Phyllonorycter klemannella

White-point