FlyinginFordham: Chippenham Fen - Field Trip

After a nice warm day it was time to dust the traps off and head back out into the field.

4 traps were loaded up, bearing different light sources on each of the traps, from 40w Actinic bulbs to the big 250w clear mercury vapor.

Whilst setting up at 7:30pm it was still very mild with just a hint of breeze coming from the west, all good I thought, and after lights on there was activity around all of the traps almost straight away.

I also netted a few walking between the traps, which is always a handy tip to help increase the list a bit.

But, about 2hrs in the wind picked up, not just a bit but rather dramatically, swinging from the west to due south and howling up the exposed track, 2 traps were right in the firing line.

The big MV was the worst off, with external egg trays cart-wheeling all over the place and the flat ground sheet licking up at the sides.

I ended up moving my car next to it, to shield the worst of the buffeting breeze.

Nevertheless it was a very successful early season session with 48 species recorded over 3 hours before conditions got ridiculous.

Best moths of the night went to a new micro moth for my records, the tiny Phyllonorycter viminiella, a Willow feeder and probably easier to find in mine form.

A Pug moth may also be new for me, a melanic version which is proving tricky. Generally melanic pugs are a no-go for identifying by photos alone. We think the Pug is Golden-rod but dissection will tell.

The early records continued with Green Pug and Coronet, the latter about 3 weeks early.

2 examples of Acleris hastiana were good to see, though a little ragged around the edges.

Grey Birch put in an appearance one more, a really local moth nationally.

3 huge female Emperors came to the one trap, the most i've seen at once and we also recorded an incredibly large, female Powdered Quaker, a great looking specimen.

The first of the Elachistas were on the wing with 3 Elachista canapennella, 2 were a bit worn but the third was mint, and talking about mint, check out the incredibly coloured Epinotia immundana, garnished in orange, one of 15 recorded over the 4 traps.

A great session indeed.

11/04/24 - Chippenham Fen - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w Trap, 1x 160w MBT Trap, 1x 250w Robinson Trap & 1x Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Brindled Pug 4
Chestnut 2
Chinese Character 2
Common Quaker 4
Coronet 1
Double-striped Pug 2
Early Tooth-striped 1
Emperor Moth 3
Engrailed 1
Frosted Green 1
Green Carpet 2
Grey Birch 1
Hebrew Character 5
Iron Prominent 3
Least Black Arches 10
Lunar Marbled Brown 6
March Moth 2
Nut-tree Tussock 8
Oak-tree Pug 12
Pale Prominent 1
Pebble Prominent 5
Powdered Quaker 1
Pretty Chalk Carpet 2
Pug sp pos Golden-rod TBC 1
Purple Thorn 1
Red Chestnut 1
Red Twin-spot Carpet 2
Ruby Tiger 8
Scorched Carpet 1
Seraphim 1
Shoulder-stripe 1
Streamer 4
Tawny-barred Angle 2
Twin-spotted Quaker 1
V-pug 5
Waved Umber 6
Yellow-barred Brindle 3

Micro Moths

Acleris hastiana 2
Agonopterix arenella 1
Agonopterix alstromeriana 1
Caloptilia semifascia 2
Elachista canapennella 3
Endrosis sarcitrella 1
Epinotia immundana 15
Mompha epilobiella 1
Phyllonorycter viminiella 1
Tinea trinotella 1
Zellaria hepariella 1