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FEBRUARY
27 2026
allegany
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community
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county
Alfred • Allentown • Alma • Andover • Angelica • Belfast • Belmont • Bolivar • Caneadea • Ceres • Cuba • FilLmore • Friendship • Genesee Houghton • little genesee • portville • richburg • Rushford • Scio • shinglehouse • Ulysses • Wellsville • west clarksville • Whitesville
Allegany County birder/photographer talks owls of Genesee Valley BY KATHRYN ROSS
WELLSVILLE — About 40 people listened to former county historian, birder and photographer Craig Braack talk about the species of owl to be found in the Genesee Valley at the most recent Tuesdays With Grace. Braack said there are 200 species of owls throughout the world and that they can be found on every continent, except Antarctica. There are 19 species alone on the North American continent, with the greatest number found in Montana because of that state’s diverse habitat.
Photos provided The great horned owl is named for the long tufts of feathers on its head and its size, 17 to 25 inches.
In New York state, there are 10 species, six of which can be found in the Genesee Valley. Owls vary in size, from the smallest, elf owls, at about 6 inches in
height, to the great grey owl, at 24 to 33 inches in height and with a wingspan of 5 feet. Owls live to be between 20 to 30 years old and congregate in
“parliaments,” not flocks, Braack explained. They have 14 vertebrae in their necks, which allows owls to swivel their heads 270 degrees. Humans have seven vertebrae in their necks. Owls also sleep with one eye open to watch for predators. This function allows them to rest one side of their brain and close one eye while keeping the other eye open and the other side of the brain alert. While many think the tuffs of feathers on the top of owl’s head are ears. They are not. The ears are on the sides of their heads and slightly offset. The tuffs of feathers and the offset ears
help in locating prey. Braack said owls are dimorphic, in that it is difficult to determine males from females, although females are usually bigger than males. Owls can most often be found near open fields and on the ground in search of prey or resting in hollow trees where their feather camouflage allow them to blend in. When compared to other wildlife, owls show less fear of humans, Braack said, and will often stare at people for long durations. “It makes you wonder what they are thinking and adds to their reputation as being one of the world’s most enigmatic
and most intelligent bird,” he said. After detailing the characteristics of owls, Braack named the species that can be found in the Genesee Valley, starting with the most common, the barred owl. It is named for the dark, feathered bar patterns found on its breast and body. Its call is one of the most memorable, Braack said. It sounds like someone is saying. “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?” Screech owls may be small, but their screeching call can be alarming on a dark night. They come in both red and Owls continued on PAGE 4
Westward expansion into the wilderness of WNY celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. In 1776, the area along the Genesee River was wilderness, with huge trees, wolves, streams full of fish and beaver, and fields, orchards and settlements of the Haudenosaunee — the confederacy that the few French or English trappers and missionaries passing through referred to as Iroquois. Within 30 years (April 1806), Allegany County had been created by the state legislature and European-American settlers were fishing the streams, hunting the deer, building their homes, schools and churches in the same area.
Editor’s note: This article by Meredith Chilson, honorary regent of the Catherine Schuyler Chapter NSDAR, is the latest to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. BY MEREDITH CHILSON
In the last 250 years, over 100 documented Revolutionary War Patriots and 600 families of their descendants have settled in and called Allegany County their home. In 2026, the Catherine Schuyler chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) will unveil a monument recognizing these patriots in historic Angelica Park Circle, in
How and why did this happen? How did the demographics change so much in such a short time? Where did the new settlers come from and where were the previous? In 1776, the lands of the Genesee were considered wilderness, but up and down the area along and inland from the Atlantic Ocean, struggles for landownership had been happening for several hundred years. In fact, Britain and France had recently fought on more than one continent for control of the lands in North America, and in July 1776, many of those persons living in America had declared
their independence from Britain and had begun their own war for control of the land. The native population had a different understanding of land “ownership,” but listened to the newcomers, and talked in their councils. They could see that the lands they had called their own were being changed by the new settlers, often by force. By the summer of 1778, the American Revolution was in full swing. Along the Susquehanna River and the valley frontiers in Pennsylvania and central New York, there were often skirmishes between Patriots, Loyalist (Americans loy-
al to Britain) soldiers and Iroquois warriors (most of whom were fighting with the British). In July 1778, the Battle of Wyoming, in the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania, was a major defeat for the Americans. Those who were not killed or taken prisoner by the Loyalist and Iroquois fled to neighboring forts and towns, including those just shy of the western border of the New York colony, as defined by the British Proclamation of 1763, which included Canisteo (Steuben County). In November of the Westward Expansion continued on PAGE 4
Photo provided The monument at Newtown Battlefield State Park near Elmira.
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