December always feels like such a short month for photographing wildlife – shorter days and too many other distractions! However, I still managed to cram in as much as I could, in the days that I had.
Peacocks – Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline
First up was a trip to Dunfermline to photograph the peacocks in Pittencrieff Park. It had been on my ‘to do’ list all year & I finally managed it. The last time I photographed peacocks was in India 2 years ago. Whilst the sun shone in both locations, the difference in temperature was about 35-40°C – I don’t need to tell you which was coldest!!
After posting some photos on social media, a number of people contacted me to say the peacocks frequently leave the park and roam around the local area, many ending up in people’s gardens.
Goldcrests
I planned to spend some time photographing goldcrests, in the latter part of the year. This is when we get more migrant birds in the area. They’re the smallest bird in UK & very active, so not the easiest birds to spot. If you want to spot these wee guys, keep your eye out for evergreens/conifers, along the river, as these are their preferred trees for feeding in.
When I wasn’t photographing goldcrests, there were plenty herons to point the camera at. I don’t often get shots of herons in trees, so the shots below were a welcomed change, particularly in the low winter sunlight. I also had my fair share of roe deer, otter and kingfisher shots throughout the month.
Otter Cubs
Whilst watching the otters throughout December, it was evident that the 3 older otter cubs had left their mothers and gone off to find territories of their own. This leaves only one cub on the Water of Leith at the moment. This means we have two mothers without cubs, so watch this space, over the next couple of months and hopefully my cameras will pick up some male otters in the area.
Talk at Royal Botanic Garden Garden Edinburgh
My final talk of the year was on 15 December where I was invited by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to speak to 30-40 delegates of the British Ecological Society. I spoke about how the Water of Leith was once an industrial powerhouse, home to 76 mills in the mid 18th century and its transformation into a haven for wildlife, almost 300 years later. I summarised the talk and the research behind it, in a previous post which you can read here – Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Talk – Dec 2025 .
…And Finally
My final video looks back at 2025 – if you want to take a 3 minute break out of your day, you can watch it here – WoL: A Lookback at 2025 .
As I wrap up 2025, all that is left for me to say is a huge ‘Thank You’ for the support you have shown me over this last year!
All the best for 2026.
Cheers Tom
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