Chippenham Fen - Cambridgeshire - Field Trip - 29/07/21

I was joined by Richard Bashford and James Harding-Morris for a trip to Chippenham Fen.

I was initially 'umming' and 'arring' about whether a trip out during a rather wet and breezy week, would be fruitful and worth the effort and tiredness.

Well, i'm glad I listened to Richard, as we chatted leading upto the session and he convinced me it would be ok.

Luckily it was a small window of opportunity and was very much worth it! In fact it started to rain as I drove home at 2am, luckily well after we had packed up.

We set up 6 traps in all, spread across the central and southern areas of the reserve and waited for darkness to ensue.

Before I arrived, both James and Richard already had pockets full of pots that contained moths, we had a good look and noted at least 12 species before the lights were on.

The traps were fairly busy from the get go and as the night progressed, my 250w trap was heaving as I walked around it potting anything unusual or interesting.

The best moth was found sitting on the wall next to the trap, a County first Lyonetia prunifoliella! This moth i've taken once in Herts and once in Essex (In fact the Essex one, was also new for the County). 

There were of course many other highlights, including two Caloptilia species to check (One is probably another honoratella), Agonopterix ocellana (Which was found by Richard, a moth I rarely see), Cochylidia rupicola, a mint Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, Garden Dart (Only my 4th ever) and last but not least, Scrobipalpa ocellatella, the 2nd,3rd,4th,5th.........12th County record, yep there were 12 of them, maybe more that I missed, incredible! This is a new moth for me also.

I thought it was a County first initially but i've since been informed from Graeme Smith, that Stephen Roughly caught one in May earlier this year.

 

Also, as well as the two Caloptilia's to dissect, a pale rather straight-winged Emmelina species was also retained and given to Colin Plant. It does look very good for argoteles, a species that has only been found in two tetrads in Cambridgeshire (Wicken and Chippenham Fen).

Once again, a great session and it was great to see both Richard & James overjoyed with seeing so many new moths.

Thanks once again go to Chris and Mike for access to the site.

Catch Report - Chippenham Fen - Cambridgeshire - 29/07/21 - 6 traps - 1x 250w Clear Tubular MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Trap, 1x Twin 15w Actinic Trap, 1x Batface Actinic Trap & 2x MV  Traps

Macro Moths

August Thorn
Beautiful Hook-tip
Black Arches
Bordered Beauty
Bright-line Brown-eye
Brimstone Moth
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Brown-tail
Buff Footman
Buff-tip
Burnished Brass
Canary-shouldered Thorn
Chinese Character
Clay
Clouded Border
Clouded Silver
Common Carpet
Common Footman
Common Rustic sp
Common Wave
Common White Wave
Copper Underwing
Coronet
Coxcomb Prominent
Dark Arches
Dark Spectacle
Dark Umber
Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet
Dingy Footman
Dot Moth
Double Lobed
Double-striped Pug
Drinker
Dun-bar
Dusky Sallow
Dusky Thorn
Early Thorn
Elephant Hawk-moth
Engrailed
Fan foot
Fen Wainscot
Flame Shoulder
Flame Wainscot
Flounced Rustic
Garden Dart
Grey Dagger sp
Grey Pug
Haworth's Pug
Herald
Hoary Footman
Iron Prominent
July Highflyer
Kent Black Arches
Knot Grass
Large Emerald
Large Yellow Underwing
Latticed Heath
Least Carpet
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing.
Lesser Cream Wave
Lesser Yellow Underwing
Lime-speck Pug
Maple Pug
Marbled White Spot
Mere Wainscot
Mottled Rustic
Nutmeg
Nut-tree Tussock
Oak Eggar
Oak Hook-tip
Pale Prominent
Peach Blossom
Pebble Hook-tip
Pebble Prominent
Peppered Moth
Pine Hawk-moth
Poplar Grey
Poplar Hawk-moth
Pretty Chalk Carpet
Red Twin-spot Carpet
Reed Leopard
Riband Wave
Rosy Footman
Rosy Rustic
Round-winged Muslin
Ruby Tiger
Rustic
Sallow Kitten
Scalloped Hook-tip
Scarce Footman
Scorched Carpet
Shaded Broad-bar
Silver Barred
Silver Y
Single-dotted Wave
Slender Brindle
Small Fan-footed Wave
Small Rivulet
Small Rufous
Small Seraphim
Smoky Wainscot
Snout
Southern Wainscot
Spectacle
Straw Dot
Straw Underwing
Swallow Prominent
Swallow-tailed Moth
Tree-lichen Beauty
Turnip Moth
Uncertain
Vapourer
V-pug
White Satin
White-spotted Pug
Willow Beauty
Yellow Shell
Yellow-tail

 

Micro Moths

 

Acentria ephemerella
Acleris forskalleana
Acleris holmiana
Acleris kochiella
Acleris laterana comariana
Acrobasis advenella
Acrobasis suavella
Adaina microdactyla
Aethes rubigana
Agapeta hamana
Agapeta zoegana
Agonopterix alstromeriana
Agonopterix angelicella
Agonopterix heracliana sp
Agonopterix ocellana
Agriphila selasella
Agriphila straminella
Agriphila tristella
Anania hortulata
Anania lancealis
Anania perlucidalis
Apotomis betuletana
Archips podana
Argyresthia brockeella
Argyresthia goedartella
Batia lunaris
Batrachedra praeangusta
Blastobasis adustella
Blastobasis lacticolella
Borkhausenia fuscescens
Brachmia blandella
Bucculatrix nigricomella
Caloptilia stigmatella
Cameraria ohridella
Carcina quercana
Carpatolechia fugitivella
Cataclysta lemnata
Catoptria pinella
Celypha lacunana
Celypha striana
Chilo phragmitella
Chrysoteuchia culmella
Cochylidia rupicola
Crambus pascuella
Crassa unitella
Cydia fagiglandana
Cydia splendana
Elachista maculicerusella
Elophila nymphaeata
Emmelina sp
Emmetia marginea
Endotricha flammealis
Ethmia dodecea
Eucosma hohenwartiana
Eucosma obumbratana
Eudonia lacustrata
Eudonia mercurella
Eudonia pallida
Eudonia truncicolella
Eulamprotes atrella
Euzophera pinguis
Gypsonoma dealbana
Helcystogramma rufescens
Homoeosoma sinuella
Hypsopygia costalis
Hypsopygia glaucinalis
Lobesia abscisana
Lyonetia prunifoliella
Metzneria metzneriella
Monopis weaverella
Niditinea sp
Nymphula nitidulata
Oxpteryx atrella
Pammene aurita
Parapoynx stratiotata
Paraswammerdamia nebulella
Parornix sp
Piniphila bifasciana
Pleuroptya ruralis
Plutella xylostella
Prays fraxinella
Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
Pyrausta purpuralis
Rhopobota naevana
Rhyacionia buoliana
Rhyacionia pinicolana
Scoparia ambigualis
Scoparia basistrigalis
Scrobipalpa ocellatella
Stenoptilia pterodactyla
Thiotricha subocellea
Yponomeuta cag mal pad
Yponomeuta evonymella
Yponomeuta rorrella
Zeiraphera isertana

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet

Acleris laterana/comariana

Actinic Trap Over-looking The Reedbeds

Agonopterix ocellana

Emmelina sp TBC

Eudonia truncicolella

Agriphila selasella

Caloptilia sp

Garden Dart

Lyonetia prunifoliella

Caloptilia stigmatella

Copper Underwing

Scrobipalpa ocellatella