Like many people, I’m currently working from home to stave off the Coronavirus. There’s a great hashtag on Twitter at the moment: #BirdingAtHome. As a contribution to that hashtag, here are some of the birds I’ve seen at home over the last few days.
Laughing Kookaburra
Scientific name: Dacelo novaeguineae | Approximate length: 47 cm | Date: 17 March 2020
![Laughing Kookaburra](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/garden-kookaburra-dscn4291-cropped.jpg?w=604&h=355)
Grey Butcherbird
Scientific name: Cracticus torquatus | Approximate length: 30 cm | Date: 17 March 2020
I think this may be a juvenile, as the lines between the black and white sections of plumage are not well defined. The bird is on a Sydney Red Gum, one of my favourite trees, and currently the biggest tree in our garden:
![](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/garden-butcherbird-dscn4335-cropped.jpg?w=604&h=530)
Australian Magpie
Scientific name: Gymnorhina tibicen | Approximate length: 40 cm | Date: 17 March 2020
This inquisitive Australian Magpie landed on the roof of our porch and peered down at us. It was in a perfect spot to achieve a weird doubling effect with its reflection in the window. The real bird is on the left:
![Australian Magpie duplicated in reflection on glass](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/garden-magpie-reflection-dscn4324-cropped.jpg?w=604&h=391)
You can see the bird’s head and shoulders at the top and its feet at the bottom. Here’s another pose by the same bird in the same spot on the roof:
![Australian Magpie and its reflection](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/garden-magpie-reflection-dscn4323-scaled-1.jpg?w=604&h=453)
The magpie then hopped in through the window and examined the place:
![Magpie on porch](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/garden-magpie-dscn4333-cropped.jpg?w=604&h=383)
A couple of days earlier, a juvenile magpie (note the soft grey colouring) posed like a statue on a pedestal. The pedestal is the trunk of a tree fern that died off a while ago:
![Juvenile magpie](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/garden-magpie-juvenile-dscn4250-scaled-1.jpg?w=604&h=453)
A side view of the same bird on the same perch:
![Juvenile magpie](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/garden-magpie-juvenile-dscn4252-scaled-1.jpg?w=604&h=453)
Pied Currawong
Scientific name: Strepera graculina | Approximate length: 45 cm | Date: 11 March 2020
Currawongs are not quite as bold as magpies. They tend to view human activity from afar and swoop past when something interesting is going on. This one chose a mossy perch that showed off its dark plumage and yellow eyes:
![Currawong on a mossy rock](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/garden-currawong-dscn4227.jpg?w=604&h=453)
Musk Lorikeet
Scientific name: Glossopsitta concinna | Approximate length: 23 cm | Date: 18 March 2020
I don’t often see Musk Lorikeets. At the moment, a number of the gum trees are in flower and are attracting a variety of birds. It’s hard to get a good picture of a Musk Lorikeet. They seem to be more shy than other birds and take care to hide within the foliage as much as possible.
![Musk Lorikeet](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/garden-musk-lorikeet-dscn4351-cropped.jpg?w=604&h=717)
Rainbow Lorikeet
Scientific name: Trichoglossus haematodus | Approximate length: 30 cm | Date: 17 March 2020
We see many of these colourful, quarrelsome birds, and these last few days have been no exception. They were competing with the Musk Lorikeets for the same flowers:
![Rainbow Lorikeet](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/garden-rainbow-lorikeet-dscn4281-cropped.jpg?w=604&h=813)
Australian King Parrot
Scientific name: Alisterus scapularis | Approximate length: 44 cm | Date: 15 March 2020
A couple of days ago, I blogged about the two King Parrots that spent some time above our patio. Here’s the male again:
![A male King Parrot on a gum tree branch](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/king-parrot-male-dscn4247-trunc.jpg?w=604&h=694)
Grey-headed Flying Fox
Scientific name: Pteropus poliocephalus | Approximate length: 30 cm | Date: 18 March 2020
To finish off with, below is a very dark pic of a Flying Fox, which is a bat not a bird. In fact, it’s a megabat (yes, that’s a thing) and is one of the largest bats in the world. These bats eat fruit and flowers, and they visit the flowering trees at night. They make quite a noise, but it’s a privilege to have them around!
![Flying Fox upside down](https://sydneybirder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/garden-bat-dscn4340-cropped.jpg?w=604&h=535)
The bat is, as usual, upside down. You can see an ear near the bottom of the picture, slightly to left of centre. The nose is higher up on the left. The spiky bit to the right is a folded wing. The feet are attached to a branch at top centre. A Grey Headed Flying Fox is about 30 cm long and has a wing span of one metre.
Happy #BirdingAtHome everyone!