Chippenham Fen - Field Trip - 08th April

The first field trip of the year started local, at nearby Chippenham Fen.

After the warmest day of the year so far of 25 degrees, it certainly was worth a go, and with overnight lows of around 11c it should have been pretty much perfect for early April or as good as to be expected.

Unfortunately the heat of the day quite quickly vanished after dark, dropping 10 degrees in just over an hour, a usual feature so early on in the year and coupled with the crystal clear sky which didn't help matters.

But I perservered and was certainly rewarded with some early season quality moths.

I also trialed an unknown brand 125 watt clear mercury blended bulb that doesn't require a choke. I ran this light off of my powerpack and after an hour, not one moth! So I swapped it out for my usual 160 watt mercury blended bulb and then left it another hour, and there were at least 10 moths. Conclusion? I think it's a fake mv incandescent bulb! Won't be using that again then...

4 other traps were sited 50 metres apart around the reserve, and all lights attracted a variety of different species with the (real) 125w Clear bulb that requires an actual choke to run, the clear winner, with the big 250w clear beast only slightly behind. 

Numbers were a little lower than expected given the conditions, but we are between flight seasons now, with the early Spring moths tailing off a tadge and the odd late Spring moths emerging, species such as Chinese Character, Ruby Tiger and Scorched Carpet all featuring in the catch.

Best moth of the night was a nice fresh Grey Birch, a speciality here and one i've yet to record from the home trap.

Some lovely micros were potted up as well including a couple of cracking Agonopterix and the first of many Epinotia immundana.

A pleasing start to the 2026 field trip calendar. 

 

08/04/26 - Chippenham Fen - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w MV Trap, 1x 125w Clear MV Trap 1x 250w Clear Robinson Trap, 1x 40w/22w Bucket Trap & 1x 160w MBT Trap

Macro Moths

Brindled Beauty 3
Brindled Pug 4
Chinese Character 1
Clouded Drab 6
Common Quaker 10
Double-striped Pug 5
Early Thorn 1
Early Tooth-striped 1
Engrailed 15
Frosted Green 11
Grey Birch 1
Hebrew Character 10
Least Black Arches 3
Lobster Moth 1
Lunar Marbled Brown 10
March Moth 1
Nut-tree Tussock 5
Oak-tree Pug 8
Pine Beauty 3
Powdered Quaker 1
Purple Thorn 2
Red Chestnut 4
Red-green Carpet 1
Ruby Tiger 1
Scorched Carpet 1
Small Quaker 1
Swallow Prominent 1
Water Carpet 3
White-spotted Pug 2

Micro Moths

Agonopterix alstromeriana 2
Agonopterix arenella 1
Agonopterix heracliana sp 1
Agonopterix ocellana 2
Agonopterix subpropinquella 1
Alucita hexadactyla 1
Caloptilia stigmatella 1
Emmelina monodactyla 1
Epermenia chaerophyllella 1
Epinotia immundana 1
Gracillaria syringella 1
Mompha epilobiella 1
Pammene giganteana 1
Plutella xylostella 1
Psyche casta (case) 1
Semioscopis steinkellneriana 1
Zelleria hepariella 1

The 'clear' winner 125w MV Trap

Agonopterix ocellana

Agonopterix subpropinquella

Chinese Character

Epinotia immundana

Grey Birch

Semioscopis steinkellneriana

White-spotted Pug