LOOK UP: Sue Nelson of Smethport phoned the other day to tell us
she had just seen an American bald eagle flying over the Hamlin
Lake area. She wondered, and so do we, do eagles migrate in the
winter?

Meanwhile, we had a call a couple weeks ago, too, from a man who
had pulled his car over in the area of the New Cow Palace just over
the Pennsylvania line to watch an eagle. He was trying to get a
picture with his camera phone.

We also had a report from Bob Slike of 91 Derrick Road about a
bird of a different color – a robin in his apple tree last
Wednesday. “She was big and fat like she was ready to lay her
eggs,” Bob tells us.

“I don’t know what she’s going to eat for the next few months.
I’ve never seen a robin so early. I heard her singing on Saturday
and sure enough, I saw her this morning,” he said, reporting he’d
also seen five red birds and eight doves. “I’ve never had five
cardinals at the same time,” Bob tells us.

PORT ALLEGANY: A long time ago, we’re told, Port Allegany was
called “Canoe Place” by the native Indians. But Vernice Irons, who
is familiar with Port’s past, says it was never ever known as “Port
Alleghany.”

A reader had told us of this misspelling on a road sign.

Vernice’s relatives were among the first settlers in town, and
said the spelling has always been Port Allegany despite the
proximity of, in particular, the Allegheny River. Of perhaps utmost
importance is the Allegheny Mountains.

We also heard from Marilyn Jestes of Roulette: “The ‘Port
Alleghany’ sign near Smethport is not unique. This spelling also
appears on the distance sign posted on Route 6 at Roulette, and I
believe there is also one on Route 155 toward Emporium.

“Two accepted spellings for the river – Allegheny in PA and
Allegany in NY – are confusing enough, without DOT compounding the
matter. I have also seen a local business advertising itself as
Alleghany – The misspelling public can perhaps be forgiven but the
state should get our city signs right.”