File:Gypsonoma sociana (5748135684).jpg

Canvey Island - 21/05/11

   Made our first trip of the year to Canvey Wick at Canvey Island last night. Equipped with 2 traps, 1 with a 160w Mercury Blanded Bulb + 22w Actinic Robinson style trap, the other with a 150w Halogen bulb and dual 40w Actinic Skinner trap.
   We opted to leave the 125w Robinsion's at home as we would no be able to carry them with the heavy chokes that you need to run them.
   Walking along the path towards our trapping spot, there was lots of evidence of moth activity, so we did a quick recce and positioned our traps on the large circular tarmac areas which were left when the massive Oil drums where removed some years back now.
   Moth activity at the lights was slow, but did pick up as full darkness approached, we were very concerned at how clear it was as the daytime temperature had reached 21c, at nearly 10pm it had fallen to 14c, throughout the next few hours the temperature did fluctuate as we got a few fine wisps of cloud over our heads.
   First moths to arrive were a few micro's which were quickly potted up and then lots of Common Swifts arrived.
   There seemed to be periods where there were lots of moths flying in and then it would go completely quiet.
   Nevertheless we managed some good species including 8 Cream-spot Tiger's, 1 Fox Moth, 12+ Light Brocade and a single Sloe Pug, all being new for me and that is pretty good going considering i've been regularly trapping for over 4 years now.
   Graham had one new species to a trap, a Puss Moth, which came in right at the last minute of packing up.

   Here is the list of Moths recorded on the night and amounts

   Macro Moths - (45 species)

   6x Common Swift
   1x Fox Moth [NEW] - Female
   4x Pebble Hook-tip
   1x Figure of Eighty
   2x Mullein Wave
   1x Cream Wave
   2x Common Carpet
   1x Waved Umber
   1x Mottled Pug
   3x Common Pug
   1x Freyer's Pug
   1x Sloe Pug [NEW]
   1x Clouded Border
   2x Peacock Moth
   4x Sharp-angled Peacock
   1x Peppered Moth
   1x Willow Beauty
   2x Pale Oak Beauty
   7x Common White Wave
   2x Common Wave
   2x Clouded Silver
   8x Light Emerald
   1x Poplar Hawk-moth
   1x Elephant Hawk-moth
   1x Puss Moth
   2x Pebble Prominent
   4x Pale Prominent
   2x Iron Prominent
   8x Cream-spot Tiger Moth [NEW]
   1x White Ermine
   5x Heart & Dart
   3x Shuttle-shaped Dart
   4x Flame Shoulder
   1x Ingrailed Clay
   7x Setaceous Hebrew Character
   12x Light Brocade [NEW]
   1x Bright-line Brown-eye
   2x Clay
   1x Shoulder-striped Wainscot
   1x Grey Dagger
   3x Rustic Shoulder-knot
   10x Marbled Minor
   10x Mottled Rustic
   8x Cream-bordered Green Pea
   1x Straw Dot
   1x Snout

   Micro Moths - (19 species)

   1x Argyresthia curvella
   1x Coleophora sp.
   3x Cochylis hybridella
   2x Cochylis nana
   1x Cochylis sp. to id
   1x Cyclamen Tortrix Clepsis spectrana
   1x Cydia nigricana
   1x Dichrorampha alpinana
   6x Epiblema trimaculana
   1x Gypsonoma sociana [NEW]
   3x Hedya pruniana
   1x Phycitodes maritima
   3x Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana
   1x Syndemis musculana
   1x Bramble Shoot Moth Epiblema uddmanniana
   1x Epinotia biluna
   2x Epiblema cynosbatella
   2x Chrysoteuchia culmella