Yearly Archives: 2016

Ward Melville lax holds on for fourth straight win

by Desirée Keegan - April 25, 2016

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11 girls score, 3 others add assists

Ward-Melville-girls-lacrosse-Madison-Hobbes-1-042516_Keeganw — Junior midfielder Madison Hobbes turns away from a swarm of Commack defenders. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Ward Melville’s girls’ lacrosse team scored four unanswered goals to start Monday morning’s contest, and held a 10-goal lead with 17:35 left to play. Despite Commack coming back to score eight unanswered, the Patriots hung on, maintaining possession and keeping the ball moving in the final minute to come away with a 15-13 win.

“We were a little inconsistent,” Ward Melville head coach Kerri Kilkenny said. “We had moments of brilliance and some things we can still improve upon. We need to make sure we keep our high level of play the entire game.”

Sophomore attack Jill Becker passes the ball around the cage. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Sophomore midfielder Nicole Liucci scored first after receiving a foul call when a Commack defender ran into her path, and sophomore attack Jill Becker added another with a shot through traffic.

Minutes later, junior attack Kaitlin Thornton landed a foul call of her own and sent her shot home. At the 16:16 mark, junior attack and midfielder Hannah Lorenzen scored up front after receiving a pass from Becker, for the 4-0 advantage.

“We’ve all played together for a really long time, so there’s definitely a connection on our team,” Becker said. “We work together, we all look up, pass to each other and we’re strong with our shot placement — we were able to finish our shots.”

Commack scored its first goal of the game minutes later, and just 30 seconds after, the Patriots pushed back when junior midfielder Kerry McKeever raced past the cage and fed the ball backward to junior midfielder Hannah Hobbes, who swiveled around defenders to get a good look in front. Becker and Lorenzen tallied their second goals of the game, and junior midfielder and defender Kelly Quinn hit her mark for an 8-1 lead.

Freshman attack and midfielder Alexis Reinhardt crosses the ball into Commack's zone. Photo by Desirée Keegan — Freshman attack and midfielder Alexis Reinhardt crosses the ball into Commack’s zone. Photo by Desirée Keegan

“We don’t necessarily have the one or two superstars, we are very well-spread offensively,” Kilkenny said. “If something’s not working for a few players, others can certainly step up and fill the roles.”

A Ward Melville offside call lead to a Commack goal, and the Cougars added another seconds later to close the gap. Ward Melville junior goalkeeper Kathryn Hopkins made a save with less than two minutes remaining in the first, and another with one second on the clock, to keep the score unchanged.

Sophomore attack Kate Mulham scored first in the opening seconds of the second half, and after her team scored two more, the two sides traded goals until Mulham scored her second and third goals of the game back-to-back, giving the Patriots their 10-goal lead with 17:35 left to play.

“We definitely started out strong, making our connections all across the field,” Mulham said. “We have a really deep bench and we can put a lot of different girls out there and we can all still perform together, because the chemistry is there. Each of our individual skills combined are really beneficial to the team.”

Sophomore attack Kate Mulham moves through midfield. Photo by Desirée Keegan

But the defense struggled to maintain the offense’s advantage, as Commack came back to score eight unanswered goals, the last coming with 6:24 left in the game.

“We definitely did get a little comfortable and once we realized we needed to pull it together, we did,” Becker said. “I think we lost some communication on defense and attack with who has who and making sure we were guarding against the cutters.”

Kilkenny said her team struggled to come out strong in the first half throughout the first few games of the season, but the team has worked on playing each half equally as strong, and especially in the first half, Mulham has noticed a difference.

“We had slow starts and we were down by a few, and we always came back at the end,” she said. “But now, being able to start off strong is putting us in the lead early, making it much less stressful.”

Although the game grew closer at the end, Mulham said she is still confident that if her team can continue to work on improving, it can be tough to compete against.

“I think we can go really far this season if we all continue to work together and address these problems that we’re noticing now early in the season,” she said. “Once we address those I think we can go as far as we want to. I think we’ll be unstoppable.”

Huntington puts its best paw forward

by Alex Petroski - April 25, 2016

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Kid1_Petroski_042316w — A young Huntington resident gets acquainted with some of the smaller dogs up for adoption from the Huntington Animal Shelter at Huntington Honda this past Saturday. Photo by Alex Petroski

Huntington Town is trying a new approach to care for homeless and abused dogs. Supervisor Frank Petrone (D) announced last week the launch of Give a Dog a Dream, a not-for-profit foundation the town formed to raise money for dogs in Huntington’s municipal animal shelter.

“For some time, people have asked how they can help improve the lives of dogs entrusted to our animal shelter’s care,” Petrone said in a statement. The foundation is a new “vehicle through which residents can help provide the extras and specialized care beyond the basics [that] public funding provides.”

Residents are encouraged to donate money, food, beds or other supplies.

A young Huntington resident gets acquainted with some of the smaller dogs up for adoption from the Huntington Animal Shelter at Huntington Honda this past Saturday. Photo by Alex Petroski

Gerald Mosca, the head of the Huntington Animal Shelter, said the town has worked to change the image of the dog refuge.

“What we wanted to do when I took over in 2010 was change the perception of municipal shelters,” that they’re a place where dogs go to die, Mosca said. “That was not what we wanted to portray, and it’s obviously not what we wanted to do.”

The shelter housed nearly 80 dogs when he took over, he said, and now, many adoptions later, they’re down to seven. He credited his dedicated volunteer staff for training the dogs and preparing them to be adopted.

Michael Costa, the assistant executive director of Give a Dog a Dream, stressed the importance of helping the municipal shelter not only be a “no-kill” shelter, but also to give the dogs living there a good quality of life.

“You end up with a dog that sits in a kennel for four, five years,” Costa said. “In most shelters they’re only getting out for maybe 15 to 20 minutes a day if they’re lucky. They’re confined to three-foot by five-foot kennels most of that time. It’s not adequate care. It’s not adequate compassion. These dogs physically may be fine, though mentally they tend to suffer. By working within the community and pushing the way we’ve pushed to get these dogs where they need to be — in homes — we help to make sure they get the care that they really need.”

A dog up for adoption from the Huntington Animal Shelter at Huntington Honda Saturday. Photo by Alex Petroski

To kick off the foundation, Huntington Honda hosted a special adoption event on Saturday. Members of the community passed through from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. to meet the seven dogs currently being cared for at the town shelter.

“These dogs are all well prepared to go into every house,” Mosca said. “Most of these dogs are very well behaved.”

Huntington Honda’s Marketing Director Jeffrey Hindla talked about the business’ commitment to be part of the community.

“We can really make these dogs’ lives better,” Hindla said Saturday. “We’re super excited to be working with the Town of Huntington and I can’t wait to do more with them.”

Give a Dog a Dream is planning to host more adoption events in the near future. To donate to the foundation or to learn more, visit www.giveadogadream.org.

Candlelight vigil held for those lost to addiction

by Giselle Barkley - April 25, 2016

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Youth-Council-Gabriel-Phillippe_2016_08_barkleyw — Residents wrote a message or the name of someone they lost to a drug overdose at the top of the white bags and placed them around the base of Gabriel Phillippe’s Belonging Tree during the candlelight ceremony. Photo by Giselle Barkley

Love and grief go hand-in-hand when it comes to the death of a family member.

Six years after 15-year-old Gabriel Phillippe died of a heroin overdose, his family, members of the North Shore Youth Council and surrounding community, showed that love never dies in the midst of tragedy.

Last Friday, the Phillippe family and town residents joined the youth council in remembering Gabe, who died on April 22, 2010, and others who lost their battle to an addiction. According to North Shore Youth Council Executive Director Janene Gentile, the ceremony, Light A Candle For Gabe and Those We Have Lost Due to the Battle of Addiction, focused on supporting one another and honoring the emotions that accompany the drug-related death of a loved one. Claudia Friszell, an advisory committee member for the Families in Support of Treatment organization, reminded those in attendance that remembering loved ones is a process.

“In order for you to heal, you no longer wear your grief as a badge,” Friszell said during the ceremony. “But you own it and hold onto it and let it go. That doesn’t mean you stop grieving or stop remembering. It just means you’ve let that grief evolve.”

According to social worker and attorney Millicent Garofalo, grief is a sign of how much one person or people loved another. Garofalo added that the community discusses a parent’s grief over losing a child, but forgets that this situation also affects siblings.

Residents wrote a message or the name of someone they lost to a drug overdose at the top of the white bags and placed them around the base of Gabriel Phillippe’s Belonging Tree, above, during the candlelight ceremony. Photo by Giselle Barkley

“They’re losing someone they’ve known forever,” Garofalo said during the ceremony. “When you lose the sibling, you’re losing a part of yourself.”

Gabe’s father, Bryan Phillippe, was among the ceremony speakers at the youth council’s headquarters on the Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School grounds. While he said his family did what they could to help Gabe, he added that addicts must also be willing to accept help. Marcie Wilson, office manager at the youth council, said this wasn’t the first time Gabe’s family contacted the youth council about holding a candle lighting for the teen and others who died because of addiction.

Each resident received a small white bag containing a flameless candle that attendees placed at the base of Gabe’s Belonging Tree outside the North Shore Youth Council. Attendees were asked to write down a positive and negative memory. Papers containing negative memories were burned after residents finished arranging the white bags and placing white flowers into Gabe’s tree.

“This disease has affected Long Island so badly, and the disease of addiction is a family disease,” said Huntington Station resident Emma Amoreisky, whose son battled alcohol addiction for several years. She added that while she understands the pain of those whose children are still suffering, she “can’t even imagine the pain of the ones who’ve already lost their child.”

According to Founder and Executive Director of FIST, Anthony Rizzuto, addiction doesn’t discriminate. Some families or individuals dealing with drug addiction aren’t always comfortable asking for help. Rizzuto said, “until we can stop the stigma and stop the shame associated with addiction, it’s going to be really hard to make a difference.”

Library goes to the dogs at pet adoption fair

by Giselle Barkley - April 25, 2016

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The Comsewogue Public Library held its second Pet Adoption Fair on April 23, showcasing several animals from local shelters who are looking for adoptive homes.

Save-A-Pet Animal Rescue and Adoption Center, Brookhaven Animal Shelter, Grateful Paw Cat Shelter, Live Love Bark, the Long Island Parrot Society and other animal organizations brought some of their furry friends to the fair.

There were dogs of different ages and breeds greeting people inside the library, bringing light to a rainy day.

St. Catherine nurses take contract dispute to street

by Alex Petroski - April 25, 2016

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Signs_Petroski_042116w — St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center nurses picket Thursday on behalf of patient care through safe staffing as they negotiate a new contract with the hospital. Photo by Alex Petroski

Smithtown residents driving on Route 25A Thursday afternoon likely couldn’t miss the lively, noisy demonstration by countless picketers all dressed in red.

More than 100 nurses from St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown gathered on the grounds just outside of the Route 25A entrance to the hospital on Thursday for an informational picket and as a sign of solidarity in their ongoing contractual negotiations. Their previous contract expired in March 2015. Nurses at St. Catherine’s are members of the New York State Nurses Association.

“St. Catherine nurses have worked without a contract for a year, during which time the problem of understaffing has become a crisis,” an April 20 press release announcing the demonstration said. “The nurses are calling for a fair contract, including enforceable staffing ratios and quality protections for patients.”

Lorraine Incarnato, a nurse in St. Catherine’s intensive care unit for nearly 30 years, said the two parties have been meeting only once a month since November. Several nurses at the demonstration said they don’t think St. Catherine’s administration is negotiating in good faith, though Heather Reynolds from the hospital’s public and external affairs department refuted that assessment in an email Friday.

“St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center is in negotiations with the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA),” Reynolds said. “The hospital continues to negotiate in good faith and has made progress in the negotiations. St. Catherine will negotiate directly with NYSNA.”

Incarnato shed some light on the goal of Thursday’s demonstration.

“The mission today is, we’re trying to show the hospital that they need to settle with the nurses,” Incarnato said. “The contract has been negotiated for a year, but since November, they’ve only been meeting once a month. We need staffing ratios that are better adhered to because too many times, we’re very short-staffed, and the mantra in the building right now is ‘do more with less.’”

Incarnato said the ICU needs six nurses to be run effectively, though these days they often have to make do with five, or even four, during a given shift.

“It’s causing a lot of friction between administration and staff,” Incarnato said. “When you have staff working always short [staffed], always extra, and then knowing that there’s not the respect factor there, they’re unhappy. Unhappy staff doesn’t keep patients happy. We try to put on a really happy face, because the patients come first.”

Dawn Bailey, a registered nurse and labor bargaining unit executive committee member of the New York State Nurses Association, said working a shift without adequate staff can be dangerous not only for patients, but for nurses as well.

“You can’t have two people lifting a patient all the time because there’s not that other person available,” Bailey said. “When people are going out with back injuries, then [members of hospital administration] wonder why.”

Other than staffing concerns, the nurses are also unhappy about changes and cutbacks to health care and other benefits.

A similar demonstration occurred on April 8 near St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, where nurses also represented by the New York State Nurses Association tried to voice the same message.

Bullets narrowly miss child in two nearby shootings

by Elana Glowatz - April 25, 2016

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Huntington Station echoed with the sound of gunfire twice on Saturday night, with two incidents just a few blocks from one another that injured one man and almost caught a child in the crosshairs.

The Suffolk County Police Department reported that the shootings occurred in a Long Island Rail Road parking lot and then on a residential street a little more than two hours later.

In the first shooting, according to police, at about 8 p.m. a 20-year-old was walking through the LIRR commuter lot off New York Avenue when another man stepped out of a vehicle, pointed a gun at him and shot him in the foot. The victim, Huntington Station resident Jose Jurado, fled and got to the 7-Eleven at New York Avenue and Depot Road, where another person called 911.

Police said Jurado was in stable condition at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.

Later that night, at about 10:15 p.m., several shots were fired toward a home on East 6th Street, between Fairground Avenue and Lenox Road. Police said two friends were standing in the driveway when shots were fired in the house’s direction, with several of them hitting the home. Other bullets, police said, hit a vehicle in the driveway of the house next-door, where a child was asleep in the back seat.

The 8-year-old was not hurt, police said.

Anyone with information about either of the shootings is asked to call the SCPD’s 2nd Squad detectives at 631-854-8252, or to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-220-TIPS.

Kick back on a porch, patio or deck this spring

Lifestyle Magazine

by Ellen Barcel - April 25, 2016

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By Ellen Barcel

Now that the nice weather is just around the corner, you’re probably thinking of enjoying outdoor living. Landscaping involves plants, but you also need some beautiful hardscaping, that is, a porch, deck or patio. Each has its pros and cons and works well in different situations. Here’s an overview of each.

Porches

Porches are generally raised structures, which run across the front of the house, usually with a cover. Porches are frequently made of wood but can also be made of concrete and brick. Since they are raised, they can have a storage area underneath them. This storage area can be open, closed in with a low trellis or completely closed in with a door. Porches add to the curb appeal of the front of a house as well as adding living space. Add a small outdoor table, a pair of chairs and some plants and the effect is quite charming.

Porches look particularly nice on Victorian and colonial style houses. Porches with a cover have the advantage of allowing for outdoor living even on a rainy summer day. The cover also helps keep blown debris from collecting on it. If you are concerned that the porch cover may block some of the sun from the room behind it, there is an easy solution — consider adding a light tube or skylight to that room. Porches need a railing around them, so no one accidently slips and falls. Hanging baskets of colorful flowers can be suspended from the porch cover. Porches may need to be painted or stained periodically, depending on the choice of materials.

Patios

Patios are built at ground level and lead out of the back of a house. They have basically the same benefits as decks do. One advantage of patios is that made of cement, stone, slate or other hard material, they need virtually no maintenance. If a weed barrier is placed under the stone or slate, you don’t even need to spray to keep weeds from popping up between the stones. Since patios are at ground level, they do not need a railing around them. Don’t forget to add some lighting so you can enjoy your patio in the evening. Patios can be built so they blend into the deck of an in-the-ground swimming pool if you have one.

Decks

Decks are generally open wooded structures, usually accessible from the back of the house. Think lounge chairs and flower boxes when you think of decks. This is a great place for outdoor living, enjoying meals outside, reading a book or even watching TV. One advantage of decks is that there is a certain amount of give in wood, meaning that standing for any length of time is easier on the legs. Since decks are elevated, you get a better view of the surrounding yard, kids playing, etc. Decks are ideal especially if you live in a split level or high ranch house. As with a porch, decks need a railing around them so no one slips. Deck railings are a great place to grow colorful annuals in appropriate flower boxes.

The main disadvantage of a deck is that the wood needs to be treated periodically so it will not decay. If this is not done, you will find yourself doing more frequent repairs. However, you can get around this by using man-made “wood,” which lasts much longer.

However, before you make any decisions on whether you want a porch, a deck or a patio, check with your local building department. In some areas, you need a building permit no matter what you add; in some you need a permit if the structure is physically attached to the house or has a concrete footing. In other cases, a patio set in sand doesn’t require anything and doesn’t affect your taxes, while one set in concrete may require a permit and may add to your property taxes. There may also be limits on sizes of the additions. For example, a porch may only be allowed to extend so many feet out from the main structure. So get all the facts.

If you don’t have any electric connections outside your house — this is especially true of older homes — have an electrician come and install at least one in the front and one in the back. If you’re adding a water feature, check with the electrician to see if this is enough or if you need a special electric connection designated just for that feature.

Whatever you decide, you’ll find that adding a deck, patio or porch to your home provides you with years of outdoor enjoyment as well as adding to the value of your home.

Sick children’s nonprofit hosts “A Walk to Remember”

by Alex Petroski - April 22, 2016

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AngelofHope1w — Thanks to the efforts of Angela’s House Founder and Executive Director Bob Policastro, the Angel of Hope statue has been in Eisenhower Park since 2008. The Angel of Hope: A Walk to Remember event on May 7 will conclude at the statue. Photo from Angela’s House

By Alex Petroski

The pain of losing a child may never go away, but it can be soothed by the support of others who know what it is like. Parents will have that opportunity on May 7 when the Hauppauge-based nonprofit organization Angela’s House, which was founded in 1992, hosts the first Angel of Hope: A Walk to Remember.

Thanks to the efforts of Angela’s House Founder and Executive Director Bob Policastro, the Angel of Hope statue has been in Eisenhower Park since 2008. The Angel of Hope: A Walk to Remember event on May 7 will conclude at the statue. Photo from Angela’s House

The walk will take place Mother’s Day weekend at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, where the nonprofit’s Angel of Hope statue has stood since 2008 as a comforting symbol to parents who have lost children.

Angela’s House assists families caring for children with special health care needs that are medically fragile, chronically ill or living with a life-threatening illness, according to their website. Founder and Executive Director Bob Policastro said the event would be a nonreligious, yet spiritual gathering.

“I would say different from our support group or even a counselor, the difficulty of those environments [is] you have to be ready and have to talk about your pain and that kind of brings about peace as you talk it through,” Policastro said in a phone interview Friday about the walk and what those interested in attending should expect. “This one I feel has kind of an easier tone to it in the sense that you’re coming to a ceremony and the comfort of seeing others that have also gone through all of this will give people great peace knowing that they’re not alone. They can talk to people if they want to but if they don’t want to that’s fine.”

The purpose of the event is not to raise funds, according to Policastro, though there is a $25 charge per person to participate.

Policastro said the date was a strategic choice by Angela’s House trustees and volunteers.

“Mother’s Day is always one of those potentially difficult times of the year,” he said. “That will be a good way to kind of help try to bring them peace, almost like a support group. To get together and be around others that have also experienced loss, it’s very comforting.”

Policastro and his wife Angie started the foundation after the death of their daughter Angela. The Angel of Hope is a reference to the book “The Christmas Box” by Richard Paul Evans in which a character frequently visits the grave of her daughter, which is marked with an angel statue. Statues like the one in Eisenhower Park popped up across the country after the release of the book in 1993, Policastro said. He was instrumental in bringing the statue to Eisenhower Park.

The walk is less than a mile long and will follow a path around Salisbury Lake in the park, concluding at the statue. The New Apostolic Church and the Willow Interfaith Woman’s Choir will lead those in attendance in a song, and a nondenominational spiritual ceremony will also be held.

Those seeking more information are instructed to visit www.angelashouse.org/angel-of-hope/.

Historical society’s tours tell important tales

by TBR Staff - April 22, 2016

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Hallock-House-Duenasw — The Hallock house was built in 1721 and it has remained largely unchanged through the centuries. It is open for tours from April to December, on Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. Photo by Erin Dueñas

By Erin Dueñas

The oldest house in Rocky Point has once again opened its doors to visitors, offering a peek at the history of the town spanning almost 300 years, during Saturday tours of the home, which acts as a museum run by the Rocky Point Historical Society. It’s the third season in a row that tours are being offered, according to society president Natalie Aurucci Stiefel.

Built in 1721 by Noah Hallock, a descendant of English settlers, the house has sat at the end of Hallock Landing Road mostly unchanged. It still has the original wood shingles and a red tin roof on the exterior. Inside, original wide-planked wooden floors creak underfoot, and a trap door in an upstairs hallway reveals a staircase that leads to rooms once used by slaves. Eight generations of Hallocks lived in the house over the centuries, including Noah Jr., William and Josiah Hallock, who all served in the Revolutionary War. The last Hallock to live there was Sylvester, who sold it in 1964 to the Via Cava family who owned it until 2011.

The Historical Society took ownership of the home in 2013 and turned it into a museum, showcasing a variety of household artifacts native to the home, including furniture, kitchen items and even toys once played with by Hallock children. Each room in the house is dedicated to a particular aspect of either the life of the Hallocks or the history of Rocky Point and the surrounding areas, including a room dedicated to farming, complete with antique tools and photos of the farms that once grew rye and raised dairy cattle nearby. The schoolhouse room offers a glimpse into what school was like for Hallock children and their contemporaries. Visitors can even walk around the block to the Hallock family cemetery where at least 40 Hallocks are buried, including Bethia, Noah’s wife, who died in 1766. Another room is dedicated to Rocky Point’s ties with radio history, including artifacts from RCA, which operated out of a transmitting station just down the road from the house off of Rocky Point-Yaphank Road.

Tours are conducted by trained docents such as Nancy Pav of Rocky Point, who was leading the tours on Saturday. Pav stressed the importance of preservation.

“If we don’t preserve old houses like this one, people will tear them down and build monstrous vinyl palaces,” Pav said. “We are preserving the history of a house that was in the same family from 1721 to the 1960s. It’s extremely unusual.”

Stiefel said that new artifacts on display this season include the wedding album of Sylvester Hallock and his second wife Josephine and photos of the now-abandoned Rocky Point drive-in movie theater.

Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) praised the society for offering another season of tours, especially because of the awareness they promote.

“Rocky Point is a mecca of history and if it wasn’t for the volunteers, this history would not be preserved,” she said. “The tours help to pass down interest and advocacy. If there’s no one to take care of it, they will be lost forever.”

Stiefel refers to the Hallock house as a “precious gem” and added she is proud of the work the society’s volunteers do with the house tours. “They are very dedicated to Rocky Point’s history, which is fascinating,” she said. “We are so happy to share it with the community.”

The Noah Hallock house, located at 172 Hallock Landing Road, is opened for tours April through December, on Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. For group tours or more information, call 631-744-1778.

Encourage birds to make your garden their home

by Ellen Barcel - April 22, 2016

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Dark-eyed-junco-Jay-Gammillw — A dark-eyed junco enjoys a snack of millet at a bird feeder in an East Setauket backyard. Photo by Jay Gammill

By Ellen Barcel

I love to see birds in my garden. Besides the beautiful calls and songs you hear, they provide a benefit in that many enjoy munching on the insects that threaten my plants. So, the question becomes, how do you encourage birds to make your garden their home?

One way, of course, is to make sure you have a birdbath, a source of water for them to drink and bathe in. Remember to change the water frequently so as not to encourage mosquitoes to breed there. Another way is to have one or more birdhouses for them to nest in. You can also have food available in a bird feeder. Or you can put in plants that will produce lots of seeds for the birds to enjoy, especially as the weather cools in the fall. So, here are some suggestions.

Corn

Many, many years ago, as a novice suburbanite, around Halloween, I saw a bunch of brightly colored Indian corn cobs in the supermarket and bought it as a decoration for my front door. I kept hearing strange noises, sort of like thumps. Each time, I’d go to the door and no one was there. This went on for a number of days, until I noticed that most of the kernels from the ears of corn were gone. It was then that I realized that the local birds were appreciating what I thought of as a decoration and what they thought of as dinner. So, yes, birds love corn. So, if you have the room, plant a small patch of corn. What you don’t eat, the birds will.

Millet

Millet (foxtail millet) grows easily and, yes, the birds love it. Millet is a grass that was domesticated in the Old World. I’ve read that grains of it were even found in the tombs with pharaohs in ancient Egypt. Experts say to harvest it when the seed heads turn a golden brown, or, leave the seeds alone and let the birds do it for you.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are absolutely beautiful in the garden. They’ll easily reach five or six feet, making a lovely and tall wall of flowers. Yes, of course, harvest some of the flowers and enjoy the seeds yourself, but what you don’t want, leave on the plant. They will dry and soon the local birds will be enjoying them. When all the seeds are gone, compost the rest of the plant. And, yes, save some of the seeds from this year’s crop for next year’s garden.

Pumpkins

Large birds and small mammals (squirrels, for example) enjoy pumpkins. Pumpkins grow easily here but have a fairly long growing season — up to 125 days to maturity. It’s best to plant the seeds directly in the garden, but, if you want an early start, plant them in peat pots, which can be moved whole into the garden once it warms up. Plant them in full sun. Interestingly, the seeds themselves can overwinter outside. I’ve seen several locations where a pumpkin left outdoors during the cold months, led to pumpkin seeds germinating the following spring. Collect the seeds in autumn and dry them before putting them out for the birds or saving them for next year’s crop. If you don’t plan on eating the pumpkins (as, for example, in pumpkin pie), choose one of the unusual pumpkins, like the miniature ones (‘Baby Boo’), blue pumpkins (‘Blue Lakota’) or white (‘White Cloud’). There are even warty ones, such as ‘Red Warty Thing.’ Any of these make unique decorations.

Perennial flowers

While all of the above need to be replanted each year, there are many perennials that birds absolutely love as well. These are part of the “plant once, enjoy for many years” school of gardening and include black-eyed Susans, blanket flowers, cone flowers, asters and mums. Note that most of these bloom in mid to late summer and into the fall. I’m always just about ready to give up on my asters when suddenly, in the cold autumn days, the purple flowers appear. Leave the flowers on the plants in autumn until the birds have enjoyed all of the seeds. Don’t cut them back until the leaves have gone brown and there are no more seed heads on the plants.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. Send your gardening questions to [email protected]. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

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