Chippenham Fen - Field Trip - 30/04/24

A third trip of the year was planned at Chippenham Fen despite conditions being far from ideal. 

It had been a mild day with highs of 18 degrees, but the wind was nagging as usual.

When we arrived, the wind was really blowing up the main track, so we had to position the traps accordingly. 

And then we had rain, not a lot mind and drizzly in the breeze, but it certainly wasn't forecast! 

 

The wind did ease somewhat as the night went on and it got rather good, with plenty of moths coming in, and then around 11ish, it was blowing again so we decided to pack up.

 

55 species were observed over 4hrs of running the lights, a little low on other years but still very respectable for the end of April.

 

Highlights were some lovely fresh moths, White Pinion-spotted, Small Phoenix & Sallow Kitten to name but a few.

A very plain White-spotted Pug had me head scratching over a possible Golden-rod Pug, but alas I was told by Brian Hancock that the white dots either side of the abdomen are diagnostic for this species, and mine has those dots.

Some moths were a shade early such as the Sallow Kitten (of which there were 3) and Orange Footman (Totalling 3 also), and then I potted a March Moth! Crazy times, I hadn't seen one in the garden for over a month.

A Phyllonorycter has been retained for the possibility of the rare viminetorum, superficially it looks good as the dorsal bars meet the ventral bars (unlike the similar ground-coloured viminiella).

30/04/24 - Chippenham Fen - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w Trap, 1x 160w MBT Trap, 1x 250w Robinson Trap & 1x Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Brimstone Moth
Brindled Pug
Chinese Character
Common Carpet
Coronet
Coxcomb Prominent
Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet
Double-striped Pug
Early Tooth-striped
Flame Shoulder
Garden Carpet
Green Carpet
Grey Pine Carpet
Iron Prominent
Least Black Arches
March Moth
Nut-tree Tussock
Oak-tree Pug
Orange Footman
Pale Pinion
Pale Tussock
Pebble Hook-tip
Pebble Prominent
Peppered Moth
Pinion-spotted Pug
Powdered Quaker
Pretty Chalk Carpet
Red Twin-spot Carpet
Ruby Tiger
Sallow Kitten
Scorched Carpet
Small Phoenix
Streamer
Swallow Prominent
V-pug
Waved Umber
White Pinion-spotted
White-spotted Pug
Yellow-barred Brindle

Micro Moths

Adaina microdactyla
Agonopterix alstromeriana
Anthophila fabriciana
Caloptilia semifascia
Cameraria ohridella
Elachista humilis
Epinotia immundana
Epiphyas postvittana
Monopis weaverella
Notocelia cynosbatella
Phyllonorycter sp pos viminetorum (TBC)
Phyllonorycter salicicolella
Plutella xylostella
Prays fraxinella f.ruficeps
Semioscopis steinkellneriana
Tinea trinotella

125w MV Robinson under a large Beech

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet

Elachista humilis

Notocelia cynosbatella

Phyllonorycter pos viminetorum

Phyllonorycter salicicolella

Prays fraxinella f ruficeps

Sallow Kitten

Small Phoenix

White-spotted Pug