Aug 21, 2020 5 min read

I enjoy driving country roads. Not only was I watching for unusual landscapes but watching for uncommonly seen wildlife. For instance, seeing an animal that is rarely spotted in one area might be common somewhere else. While common in the mountains of Pennsylvania, a bear encounter is unusual in Washington or Greene counties. I am aware that of the beasts who make these two counties home, and I am always looking for but I have only seen a bear one time here at home.

It was a nice fall day and I was heading for Ruff Creek. My route on this casual drive took me along Rt. 221. For those who are scratching their head wondering where that route is located, it is the road along Ten Mile Creek and the road that leads to the Anawana Club. I was approaching the shear right turn near Farabee Road when a black shape darted across the road in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and pulled of the road as I realized it was a bear. I scanned the heavy cover but to no avail. That bear evaporated as quickly as it had appeared, as a ghost in the surrounding cover. As of this day that is my only bear sighting in either Greene or Washington counties in a lifetime of looking.

It reminds me of the rarity of such sightings when I recognize my sister, who was hardly an outdoors person, saw a local bear before me, the outdoorsman in the family. Audrey lived along Mayview Road in Washington County and called me to say there was a bear sitting in her front yard. The sighting was verified by the local game warden and this sighting was three years before my sighting. Two things are obvious in these sightings. First, you must be lucky. Second, they are unusual.

But the bear sighting is but one strange animal I have seen when driving. A long time ago, I saw my first coyote going Kaput along Interstate 79 near the Laboratory exit. At the time, I did not think their population would explode.

Stranger yet was the sighting of an animal that hardly calls Southwestern Pennsylvania home. It had been hit by a car trying to cross I-79 near Prosperity. The medium-sized beast was coal black and a bit smaller than a raccoon and there was no doubt about the identity. It was a fisher, which is very unusual here at home. Fishers are common in the northern tier of the state but not here. I have always heard that a fisher’s main food was the porcupine. Evidently, this animal had found itself a home in Washington County, and I must say, I have never seen a porcupine in either Greene or Washington counties.

Next in my unusual sighting lineup would be a time I was travelling along Rt. 19 North when I spotted a creature that had apparently died trying to cross the highway. I could not believe my eyes, so I stopped and parked the truck for a closer look. No, my eyes did not deceive me. There on the berm, as dead as could be, was a carp, probably in the 20-pound class, a victim of the highway. At the time, I thought PennDot should erect a carp crossing sign. Keep your eyes open and you never know what you may see.

Lastly in the unusual category was one strange day in Eighty Four. I was taking my grandson to school and was on Conklin Road when a herd of ostriches ran in front of my truck. I later found out they were emus. Either way, I went back to the house and called the police to report it. The officer on duty said, “Sure you did, George, and I saw a Rhinoceros on Brehm Road.”

It turns out that people all over Eighty Four would soon be calling in sightings of these birds. They had escaped from a farm along Rt. 19 that sat back in by Munce Ridge Road. The police had their hands full that day. They chased those unusual beasts, which can really run fast, with their police cars all over Eighty Four. But you know who spotted them first. Even if they did not believe me.

• The Dormont Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club recently named its first Academic Grant-in-Aid recipient. The Board of Directors at its January board meeting approved a proposal by the treasurer to establish a Rifle Team Student Grant program. This year’s grant went to Rachel Midea. She is a member of the Mt. Lebanon rifle team and an outstanding student. The club award is a monetary award for four years. Rachel will be attending Penn State University and majoring in Nuclear Engineering.

Congratulations to her and to the club for starting this very generous program.