Waterbirds such as ibises and pelicans also have admirable aerial ability, often circling in thermals with hardly a flap.

A recent observation of raptorial aerobatics has come from Ross Creek.

In this case, the bird - appearing to be a hawk of some sort - was first spotted very high in the sky. Binoculars revealed a possible whistling kite, although the distance made identity uncertain.

As the bird soared high above the ground, it suddenly tucked its wings into its body and went into a vertical dive, bottoming out a long way from the ground, and then rising vertically upwards, still at speed, tracing an enormous letter 'U' in the sky.

Then, when it reached stalling speed high in the air, it tucked its wings in and did another vertical dive, repeating the manoeuvre seven or eight times before it disappeared from view.

The observer asks, "What on earth could be the reason? My best guess is that it's a hunting behaviour: swooping towards the ground hoping to see something worth catching, and if nothing appears, aborting the dive and going back almost as high for another go. If so, it seems like fairly low energy usage: circle up on a thermal then eight or more dives without once flapping your wings."

This is the typical display flight of the male little eagle, a bird rather similar to a whistling kite in size and appearance. The flight is very well described by the observer. The birds are probably strengthening their pair-bonds before the start of another breeding season.

Little eagles are widespread but not common across the Ballarat region.

Wildflowers at the time of the winter solstice can be difficult to locate, with common heath being one of the most obvious. Common correa and spreading wattle are a couple of others.

A display of winter-flowering Australian native plants will be held at the Botanic Gardens this weekend.

The plants originate from many parts of Australia, with most of them from gardens of members of the Ballarat branch of the Australian Plants Society.

On display will be named specimens of a variety of correas, winter-flowering wattles, eucalypts, hakeas, banksias and more. There will be plants for sale.

The show is at the Robert Clark Centre in Ballarat's Botanical Gardens, on both Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26, from 10am until 4pm. Entry $5. Phone 5341 5567 for more information.

What is this moth we found in the kitchen? It is an unusual shape, and has a wingspan of around 20 - 25mm. F.T., Invermay.

This is one of many small to medium moths known as crambid moths; they belong to the family Crambidae. Most have long front legs, and often have their fine antennae curved over the back. Some others in the same family, but of different shape, are known as grass moths.

The upturned abdomen with small protuberances, and the way the wings are held out from the body, all help to place it in the crambid family, but it does not match any illustrations I have been able to find.

It is quite similar to a pest species known as the poroporo fruit-borer moth, a New Zealand moth, but it is not that species, because it has dark blotches and dark wingtips.