Hi Nicola - You have some really nice shots there and your recent red kite images are very impressive to (I particularly liked the kite with its beak wide open).
I have been using the D300 with the 105mm VR macro lens for macro "work" and with the 18-200mm VR zoom for shooting 360 degree panoramas - and I am REALLY REALLY pleased with the results. It beats my old D80 hands down.
So I guess we can both congratulate ourselves on our choice of upgrade (smug icon).
Bruce