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| Autumn colours in their prime, Strathspey |
A timely reminder about headtorches. Even though you may plan to get down off the hill before dark, you may not! Everyone should be carrying a headtorch.
When I first started out in the hills there wasn't a lot of choice in lighting. The classic Petzl Zoom with its big square battery and powerful ( 
) 1.5V bulb was what everyone had.
Petzl still produce the finest headlamps. They've evolved over the decades. with many new models coming on the scene almost every year. There is now a wide choice of torches to choose from. The big gamechanger is lithium rechargeable batteries and halogen bulbs.
Many torches are now rechargeable and with varying levels of luminosity ( brightness). Some are just charged up with a permanent, in situ battery. Others the rechargeable lithium battery is removable to be charged as a separate unit.
The torches I now carry are all rechargeable, thankfully. I no longer need to carry spare nickel/cadmium throwaway batteries, better for the environment and better for my wallet!
I will always have 1 torch in my rucksack, even in the height of Summer. This time of year I will have 2 headtorches. My main torch (Active Core) plus a backup torch. The main torch has a removable lithium, rechargeable battery. I take a fully charged spare battery for this. I also carry my wee spare backup torch. The Petzl Bindi is a fab wee light and weighs very little.
If I plan on being out during darkness, with groups on night navigation courses I also have a larger, more powerful torch.
Why orange? I want to find them easily in the dark By the way, I'm not sponsored by Petzl. They just make the best torches. 
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| My current choice of lighting |
Out this morning capturing the Autumn foliage in Strathspey, less than an hours walk from my house. A favourite spot to see the Autumn shades in all their glory. It was a dull, misty and drizzly morning so not getting the images I was quite after.
This week is normally the finest period for the Autumn colours. A great time to be out with the camera, especially if you get clear, frosty mornings. The colours are at their prime.
The weather for the next few days isn't looking great, so if you're out in your area I would get some images while you can. By the end of October most of the leaves will have fallen, or blown away!
Some beautiful and atmospheric cloud this morning in Strathspey. A layer of fog in the Strath with some clearer air above 400m. The Autumn colours just beautiful and the hill lovely and peaceful. The high Cairngorms still have some snow. By the weekend it looks like more snowfall and high winds. All good.
These beautiful birds are Winter visitors to Scotland. They come over from Norway, usually in huge flocks called 'irruptions'. They love feasting on the red Rowan and Hawthorn berries.
They can quickly strip berries in a small area then move on to another area. Keep an eye out for them, especially if you're near Rowan trees.
They can turn up anywhere, most often in parks and gardens in towns.
There are currently huge flocks of 100 or so in the Moray region.
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| Waxwing love rowan berries |
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| Strathspey & the Northern Cairngorms |
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| Fog in the glens |
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| Shaggy Inkcap |
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