Wildlife of December 2025
- Harris Brooker
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
It had been quite cold in the Cairngorms this past December. But just because it was cold, didn’t mean there was nothing to see, quite the opposite. Around Inshriach, there were plenty of songbirds such as Great Tits, Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Long Tailed Tits and Greenfinches. On occasion, I spot Buzzards and Sparrowhawk, flashing past, as it swoops after songbirds. I managed to see all of these species in December.
Along the back roads, sights of Common Buzzards, Red Squirrels, Roe Deer, Eurasian Jays, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows and if you’re lucky Eurasian Woodcocks are common. Last month, however, I had sights of Common Buzzard soaring across the road from one field to another, a Eurasian Jay flew across the road and both day and night had Roe Deer crossing in front of me.
A visit to a Caledonian pine forest in Carrbridge, of wonderful quality, proved to be successful. It’s a great place to see Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Chaffinches, Bullfinches, Mistle Thrushes and our elusive Crested Tits and Crossbills. The forest that day was peaceful and quiet. enabling me to hear the shrill trilling of a Crested Tit, but the bird remained unseen, which was unusual as I’m usually able to track them down, perhaps it was in a hurry.
On a separate outing to a Pine Forest, I ventured along a path which has the potential for seeing a variety of woodland birds, as well as Roe Deer and Red Squirrels. Within minutes I spotted a Crested Tit. I got a really good look at it before it flew away. Continuing on, a Red Squirrel made an appearance, shuttling across the path. Further in, there were Coal Tits and a Eurasian Jay flew past, which was a surprise, as I’d never seen one in this area before. Then, I started hearing that familiar trilling sound. Although not visible, the sound was very clear. After some time and some patience, I saw one land with alongside a Coal Tit. The Coal Tit left and so did the Crested Tit, then I saw another Crested Tit land in another tree and then all of a sudden, two Crested Tits were seen at the same time before flying away.
On another day I went to a local loch, but because it was late in the day there was little stirring except some Mallards and a Robin. It was nice, however, to watch the Mallards milling around and as a bonus the steam train from Aviemore trundled through as the light faded away. This particular loch can be excellent for a number of things, in the past I’ve seen an Otter and a Water Vole, both can be difficult to see in the Cairngorms. There are often Little Grebes, Mute Swans, Tufted Ducks and Grey Herons there too. On another visit, later in the month, there were Wrens in the frozen reeds, dashing from one hiding place to another. The Blackbirds could be seen flying across in dashing flights and wouldn’t stay still. However, on the water, just like last time there were only Mallards, that had managed to keep a hole ice free just by being there. After a while, I decided to depart. Both visits were enjoyable.
The River Spey can be a great place to visit in December. It’s possible to see Dippers, Goosanders and Common Goldeneyes. On a particular chilly December morning, I managed to spot a distant male Common Goldeneye. It drifted in the current and dived a few times before I decided to go back. In the surrounding trees there were Blackbirds and Robins, and a Common Buzzard flew through.
Wildlife Sought but not Seen
After spending Christmas away at home, I returned to the Cairngorms and went to a stubble field on the outskirts of Grantown on Spey, hoping to see Grey Partridges. It was cold, sunny weather and I saw a man walking his dog in the stubble fields in question and nothing flew up from him being there. However, it was a big field and I hadn’t seen him go round all of it. At a visit to a local loch again, I was hoping to see a Water Rail, which I’ve heard there previously, but haven’t yet seen. Jack Snipe can also be seen there, but they can hide themselves very well and are often not detected unless almost stood on. Cold wintry conditions can cause them to come out to feed in the open, which is a rare sight indeed. On the day there were no Grey Partridges, I went back to the loch and it had frozen over. I had hoped there would be more than when I went last time. I had hoped that these conditions would encourage a Water Rail to come out, but no luck.
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