I always get excited when I see these ducks and to find them just down the road from my new house was excellent... but they are so cautious and furtive .... the first day I just blundered on in and blew them sky high as I didnt know they were there. So glad i went back the 2nd day with a different approach ....even if is does cost me Ross River Virus from the unbelievable amount of mozzies by that pond 
this was the first day after I had scared them over to the other side of the pond
Gorgeous looking ducks , and that one in the front of the first photo looks terribly cheeky !
Is there any difference between the male and female do you know ???
Kerry - Perth, Western Australia.
They are very beautiful indeed .... and have the most silly high pitched whistling call ...unlike other ducks. Sorry you sent me scurrying to my guide but there was no reference ot differences between the sexes ... maybe someone more experienced than me can answer that one Shoop.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Hi Birdie,
Great shots of a bird I have only seen in captivity. Much more beautiful in the wild and your photos do them justice, Well done!
Thanks babybirdwatcher .... much appreciated
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Nice shots ..... really like the shot you captured of them all heading across the pond
Fabulous photos, especially the first! These are just the most handsome ducks ever. :)
Such a gorgeous-looking duck.
Sadly the only time I've seen them was at Gatton, and they were all in the very middle of the lake.
Wow, I'm dying of envy!!!! They are just the most beautiful duck!
Look like they've been crossed with a Buff Barred Rail
Great Photos.
Glad you all enjoyed seeing them , and thanks for your comments.... Rick ... have you discovered a form of Rail I have never heard of ?
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Looks like anti-mozzie protector is becoming or needs to become part of the bird watcher's arsenal, birdie. Take care because Ross River virus is no laughing matter.
Yes Woko , well I will make sure to find something stronger than aerogard sensitive because I could have drowned in it and they would have still kept coming!
Sunshine Coast Queensland
I could hear them from here, birdie!
Just that vivid splash of orange made me immediately think of BBR
Cheers
Sorry Rick I was just having a laugh at your expense ....I am probably the dumb one as I had never heard of them referred to as Buff Barred Rail only the Buff Banded rail .... I do apologise again ..... sometimes humour on these forums doesn't come across well
And Woko .... if you can hear them be careful ...they are coming with an army to carry you away
Cheers
Birdie
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Bride, you are absolutely correct,don't know where I got the "barred" from :-) By the way, was at the Barker Wetlands two days ago and all your mozzies were there :-) Even with masses of spray got eaten.
Oh dear Rick..... here I go again ..... it would have been nice if you had asked me before publicizing it .....
Sorry ...couldn't help myself he he
Sunshine Coast Queensland
:-) :-):-)
Love the pictures! they sure are a stunning duck, I was lucky enough to see them once on my mums property but never again since
My favourite duck birdie, such amazing feathers! These are beautiful beautiful shots! I love the comp of the second shot, reminds me of children playing hide and seek, looking out for the seeker who has actually snuck up behind them
. Their expressions are just oozing character. So glad you have them near you, we might get to see some more down the track?
West Coast Tasmania
Thanks cassie.c87 and AnnieJ .... I don't know if I could survive another mozzie attack to get more!!! And I would feel like I was boring people with the same kinds of shots all the time anyway
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Birdie, I don't think any of us get bored with looking at good photos, no matter what the subject or who took the photo. I might sometimes get jealous though!
Des
Lovely photo, I'd really like to see these birds some day. If they're anything like the whistling ducks I've seen in Florida, they'll be great characters.
Birding Blog: Close Encounters of the Bird Kind