New Year's morning...

... seemed like a good time for a visit to RHS Harlow Carr Gardens.

Having spent a while in the bird hide, our next stop was for an outdoor coffee.

That was when this little fella decided to visit to do some posing for the camera. Presumably expecting a few crumbs as his fee.

Sadly, for him, we were only drinking coffee with no food to produce the crumbs. By the time the little robin realised there was no chance of a nibble, he had ventured very close to the camera - too good a photo opportunity to miss.

We arrived home to find at least 7 red kites hovering overhead. I spent ages trying to get an acceptable shot of any one of them. My extra has one of the more successful shots - but I will need to improve my technique to get a shot I am happy with.