They are a large upright duck with a distinctive array of long, upswept plumes along the flanks.

A description on the Birdlife Australia website, has them sounding like an item from a lolly shop.

"The Plumed Whistling-Duck has a honey-coloured head and neck, and a cinnamon-coloured breast covered with fine, chocolate-brown barring, which extends onto its flanks. On the bird's flanks are a collection of prominent nougat-coloured plumes with chocolate-brown edges."

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In addition, they have pink legs and a pinkish bill. They certainly are a handsome bird.

Wandering Whistling-Ducks, also found in the Hunter Region are darker, with shorter plumes and dark legs.

Whistling-Ducks are named for the high-pitched whistling calls they make. Even when they are roosting, a continuous chittering noise interspersed with high whistles can be heard.

These ducks were found only in the northern and eastern tropics of Australia until the 1950s, when floods in their traditional range caused them to move south. Their range has now expanded to the NSW Riverina and into northern Victoria.

There is a thriving population in the Hunter Valley at Doughboy Hollow, near Singleton, where as many as 500 birds have been counted. Sightings of smaller numbers are infrequently seen at other suitable locations.

Surprisingly, these whistling-ducks feed at night, flying quite long distances to find suitable grasslands. They feed mainly on grass and some seeds on the margins of wetlands and, because of this diet, are often called Grass Whistling-Ducks.

During the day, they congregate in large numbers, often with other waterfowl, on the margins of swamps, mangrove creeks and lagoons, where they sleep and preen.

This behaviour makes them easy to view if you are aware of the location of their day roosting sites.

They breed in the tropical wet season and lay their eggs in a scrape on the ground under a bush or in low vegetation, on the edge of a wetland.

I often stop to see the whistling-ducks at Doughboy Hollow, when returning from Singleton and, last week, there were hundreds of birds present. A small flock took to the skies and afforded me a wonderful aerial display before they again landed near the water.

Hunter Bird Observer's Club website can be found at: www.hboc.org.au/