My mate Chris L, he of Mt Rothwell, and formerly Western Treatment Plant, fame has established a monthly bird walk around the Eynesbury Grey Box Forest.
It is a pretty informal arrangement, no signing of paper and turning up is about the only requirement.

“Are you interested in coming on Sunday?”, he said. Hmm. Didn’t really have to consult the diary. “Be there at 10 of the clock,” says he.
And so EE and I hit the road to Eynesbury in some brilliant sunshine.  When Chris organises a day, well, he organises the weather too.

By start time, about half a dozen locals, and Geraldine from Werribee Wagtails  – Now BirdLife Werribee, turned up.   Chris really wants to make it an opportunity for the local residents to enjoy the forest around their village.

Eynesbury is built around a golf course (well not really, but on the other hand, really). Another golfing friend, took a trip out there one day, saw the greens, and the area, and was back the following day to sign up for a villa.  Nothing like a game of golf that starts from your front step.

Surrounding the man-made, is the indomitable Grey Box. This is one of the largest stand of Grey Box left in Victoria. Something the locals are particularly proud of, and with every right.

We set off along the track that leads around the ornamental lake. Lake being a somewhat strange term at the moment as the dry weather has reduced it to a series of water holes.  And a home now for a number of Black-fronted Dotterels, among the usual ducks and other waders.  The cormorant families have had to move on.

A trip around the lake led us off into the wilds of suburbia as we walked along a track between the forest and the residences.   Many little bush birds, particularly Superb Fairy-wrens along here. It seemed that there was about one Fairy-wren clan to every front yard.

Across a dry creek and into the forest proper and the call of Brown Treecreepers announced our presence.  Then a Jacky Winter couple, and the familiar call of Diamond Firetails, but search as we might we didn’t spot them today.

A bit of ramble through the thickets between the Grey Box and we were nearing the end of our morning.  When a call of an Crested Shrike-tit echoed across the open area.  After quite a bit of searching, I’d concluded we’d missed it, and a cuppa beckoned.
Not so Christo. With stoic patience he continued, and a “Here it is!” was really a grand statement of his birding skills.  The group hurried to see. And not only one, but two  and working very close to the track and unperturbed by our presence.
The photographers were in for a treat and we were shown the skills needed to both track down and extract grubs from the most unlikely places among the bark.

And all too soon we were back in the carpark, and farewelling the lovely area.

Thanks Chris, we enjoyed the day.