Max Hatzoglou
Chris Konstantinidis has had many great experiences at Sunshine Heights Cricket Club but none like the two magpies that regularly visit him on the cricket pitches.
Chris Konstantinidis joined the club 45 years ago in 1977 as an under 12 junior cricketer and has since won an A-Turf premiership, become a club life member and been a volunteer curator for more than 30 years.
Ever since becoming a curator Chris has developed an incredible bond with two magpies, who visit Chris when he is preparing the cricket pitch for cooling and even eating at times.
When Chris pulls out the hose from the shed, the two same magpies will fly down immediately, knowing that Chris will water the pitch and a puddle will form.
The magpies will then follow Chris to the centre of the ground.
“They’re very smart birds,” Chris said.
After watering the pitches Chris would hold the hose up creating a shower effect for the magpies to stand under during the hot summer.
The magpies would also go to the underground tap in the ground while Chris waters the pitch as water will build up creating a little pond that they sit in.
They would also visit him for food.
“Every time I take the covers off the pitch they’ll come in there and start digging around beneath it,” he said.
“They know there’s worms or other insects there so as soon as I take the cover off they come behind me.”
Chris can tell the difference between the two birds and knows that the same two birds continually re-visit.
One of the magpies has a broken wing that gets the closest to Chris out of the two.
Chris, a Collingwood supporter, calls it Daics, named after the legendary Daicos Collingwood footballers.
When Chris and fellow curator Adam Ciach, also a long time volunteer and life member at the club, were situated at Norm Talintyre Reserve for a short period, the magpies located there also used to visit.
Amazingly, they would swoop all the players and everyone on the ground except for Chris and Adam who were the curators.
The magpies knew to leave Chris and Adam who provided a good source of water for them just like they do at Ainsworth Reserve.
“The next step is I want to feed the birds,” Chris said.
“I haven’t tried it but I am confident that I can do it.”
In the winter, the magpies are still there but they don’t have Chris’ company like they do during the summer.
Daics and his fellow magpie still come back every year though.
