Mallards are the most familiar of all ducks. Males have a dark green head, a yellow bill and a brown, black and grey body. Females are brown with shimmering bars on the wings and an orange bill. Ducks are unusual because they moult all their flight feathers at the same time. This is known as the ‘eclipse’. Moulting is very important to improve flight performance and keep their feathers waterproof. However, it leaves ducks unable to fly so they are very vulnerable to predators. To provide some protection from predators the eclipse plumage is much duller than the normal plumage. Therefore in July all the male mallard ducks look like females!

Keep a look out for rabbits during July. Rabbits are social animals. They live in colonies in warrens. During the breeding season the female rabbit digs a separate burrow called a stop which she lines with moss, grass and belly fur. Young rabbits (kittens) are born below ground and are deaf, blind and have no fur. The mother visits her stop once a day to suckle her young. When she leaves she blocks the entrance to conserve heat and to protect her young from predators. Look out for entrances to rabbit warrens.

During July look out for the familiar wild flower the common poppy. The increased use of herbicides and fertilisers has had a serious impact on the poppy. It became banished to field margins, hedgerows and neglected fields. However, poppy seeds have the ability to lie dormant for as long as 100 years until conditions are suitable to grow. Recently farmers have been encouraged to use more traditional forms of farming allowing the poppy to make a comeback. 

July is a good time to look for water boatmen at the surface of ponds. The water boatman swims on its back and orientates itself by the light. Their long flattened hind legs have been modified for swimming. Their forelegs are short and strong and are used to grab prey. The water boatman is a highly effective predator. It will stay completely still at the water surface until it detects movements in the water. It then swims towards the source of movement and hunts by sight (using its large red eyes) when it is close to its prey. They can eat prey as large as tadpoles and small fish.

July is a good time of year to look out for birds of prey. Most of this year's young have left the nest but have not yet perfected their parents’ faultless flight and hunting skills. So watch for young birds of prey looking awkward and clumsy during flying attempts. Kestrels have pointed wings and a long tail and can be spotted hovering beside a roadside verge. In contrast, sparrowhawks never hover. They are usually seen flying fast and low in pursuit of prey or soaring high on rounded wings.

One of the most remarkable cases of mistaken identity in the animal world occurs in during July. What looks and acts like a hummingbird is actually a hummingbird hawkmoth. The hummingbird hawkmoth is a day-flying moth and has a wingspan of about two inches. It beats its wings so rapidly when it darts between flowers that it produces an audible hum. It is also an expert hoverer, so it can hold its body still while it uses its long proboscis to drink nectar.

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