"Rarest" might be a bit ambiguous, because that might have been an insect or something that you didn't even realize was all that rare. But I'm just curious as to what animals/birds/fish you've seen in the PA wilderness that most people haven't.
OT: Rarest Animal You've Seen in the Wild in PA?
- Thread starter PharMorNightStocker
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i once met an educated person in potter county. wild. obviously out of his natural habitat.
Not rare necessarily, but I was driving on I-80 somewhere around the Lock Haven area a few years ago and two wild cats (mountain lions) darted across the road just about 10-15 yards ahead of me. I had never encountered a big cat before. I couldn’t imagine seeing one in person. I think I’d rather see 10 rattlesnakes!
The state won't confirm that there are mountain lions in PA.
I've been a bears and a fisher. That is about it.
I've been a bears and a fisher. That is about it.
Man, that's awesome. I'm a big animal person, so I'd have no doubt gotten out of the car and tried to chase them down to get a better look... and died. But it would have been a pretty cool final minute or so of life.
I'd love to see a bear in the wild. Never have. I, completely unqualified, climbed down a mountain in WV to get to a stream where I thought I might see one... but to no avail. I've seen two dead ones on the road, but I don't count that.
And I'd be lying if I said I knew exactly what a fisher is, haha. Rarest bird I've seen in these parts was probably a blue heron. I see them along the Montour Trail, and I saw one in the Yough a few months ago.
Obviously the most stunning....and I have shown these photos to friends who live in Wyoming and California and Canada and they are blown away are our Elk herd. The fact that our Elk, which actually get even bigger than many of the Rocky Mountain elk stun people who don't know this. I have taken many photos of them around the Benezette area.
Saw a giant black bear crossing the road early on morning near Loyalhanna Lake on our way to fish (about 10 years ago). He sauntered over the edge of the road, stopped and then got up on his hind legs to get a look at us. I've seen other small bears that didn't scare me much, but this thing was a monster.
Pileated woodpecker - while not as rare as they used to be, had one in our yard a few years ago pecking at a tree stump.
In Maryland camping, saw a family of black bears while camping - mother and 3 cubs. Luckily, we were in are car driving out of the campsite.
On a side note, haven't seen a wild pheasant around in 30 years. Overrun with turkeys though.
Pileated woodpecker - while not as rare as they used to be, had one in our yard a few years ago pecking at a tree stump.
In Maryland camping, saw a family of black bears while camping - mother and 3 cubs. Luckily, we were in are car driving out of the campsite.
On a side note, haven't seen a wild pheasant around in 30 years. Overrun with turkeys though.
I’ve seen bears and bald eagles. Never a mountain lion and I’m okay if it stays that way.
There's a bald eagle nest at North Park. Blue Herons are often there too.
I've not seen a bald eagle, unless we're counting the Filly Coral, but my buddy said he always sees one up at Crooked Creek Lake. I might check it out.
I saw a pileated woodpecker as well. I always thought woodpeckers were like regular sized birds. My jaw dropped and I stared at it forever.
I saw what had to be coyote pups crossing a road a few years back in Beaver County. I live in the city and some people swear they’ve seen them in Beechview. Almost feel like it’s a matter of time before I see a bear. I’ve seen tracks in sand traps at golf courses but never the bear. And may not have been PA. Can’t recall for sure. But they’re popping up more and more in populated areas.
They’re almost easy to find now in some places. The state has cameras set up on nests now and those locations are pretty publicized. The area is restricted but there are plenty of places to go see them. But I don’t know how widespread it is. I’m only speaking if the greater Pittsburgh area.
my buddy took shrooms once and swears he saw a dragon on the cathedral lawn.
Yeah, I guess it's pretty cut and dry once you have a nest somewhere. I know there's an overlook for viewing them up at Raccoon State Park, also. But I don't know if I'll ever go back to that place on account of how many ticks we encountered there.
I've never seen a bear out that way, but there was a night when we had to drive about 3 mph up there because there were so many deer out. Had to be 200. They were just all over the place.
In PA I’ve seen bear and wildcats/Panther/puma; coolest might be either a bobcat or a whippoorwill.
The sites/nests I know of
Hays
North Park (Marshall Lake I believe)
Canonsburg
Anyone that ever considers going - respect and follow the rules. From all I’ve gathered - the conservation officers don’t play and those sites are monitored.
There are definitely coyotes in the city. I’ve heard them and my neighbor had a picture of one running down the street. They will go after garbage or rodents around it. We also get a ton of deer and rabbits so they either hunt or scavenge them.
I've twice seen a bear on the golf course. But there's one I'm glad I didn't see. A few minutes before I arrived one morning, two of my friends were on the practice green in the dark when a bear ran past them. It was actually close enough that it slightly brushed up against one guy.
I've heard whipporwills at night while camping, but have never seen one. Really awesome song though.
Not rare, but one of the coolest things I've seen was during football practice.
We heard a few branches breaking in a huge pine tree, looked up and it was red tailed hawk with a rabbit in it's talons. That same hawk, killed damn near every type of animal it could over a few months. We saw dead birds, ground hogs, rabbits, etc. It also had no fear of people.
We heard a few branches breaking in a huge pine tree, looked up and it was red tailed hawk with a rabbit in it's talons. That same hawk, killed damn near every type of animal it could over a few months. We saw dead birds, ground hogs, rabbits, etc. It also had no fear of people.
My brother claims he saw a big black cat with a tag in it's ear when he was hunting about 10 years ago. Other than that I've seen a bobcat stretched out running through the yard as I was turning into my driveway and got a very quick glimpse.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
I spend a ton of time out in the woods and on the mountains since I live in south central PA. I usually keep a list of what I see. Have seen and heard everything listed above multiple times (except that mountain lion). It makes me recall the surprise that some people have when they first encounter something like a pileated woodpecker. I have a friend who hikes regularly that saw his first one a couple of months ago.
So far as rare, I saw a woodcock two years ago. They're goofy little birds. Weasels. Caught a chain pickerel. See red and gray fox a lot. Seeing a beaver in the wild is pretty cool. Kestrel's are neat little birds of pray. I always get excited when I see the different owls. A friend had one land on his head in a tree stand last fall. I see rattle snakes once in a while and that's too much. I rescued a grebe on night. It had landed on my parking lot and injured itself. Towhee's aren't rare but few people get up on a mountain to see them. I found a big yellow and purple imperial moth last year. I have never seen a river otter so that's on my bucket list.
Few things that I also consider rare is when you run into a bear that just came out of hibernation. Gross, nasty looking things. A coyote with mange. Hearing a bobcat, porcupine, or a fisher crying. Bobcats at dusk will make the hair stand up on your neck.
So far as rare, I saw a woodcock two years ago. They're goofy little birds. Weasels. Caught a chain pickerel. See red and gray fox a lot. Seeing a beaver in the wild is pretty cool. Kestrel's are neat little birds of pray. I always get excited when I see the different owls. A friend had one land on his head in a tree stand last fall. I see rattle snakes once in a while and that's too much. I rescued a grebe on night. It had landed on my parking lot and injured itself. Towhee's aren't rare but few people get up on a mountain to see them. I found a big yellow and purple imperial moth last year. I have never seen a river otter so that's on my bucket list.
Few things that I also consider rare is when you run into a bear that just came out of hibernation. Gross, nasty looking things. A coyote with mange. Hearing a bobcat, porcupine, or a fisher crying. Bobcats at dusk will make the hair stand up on your neck.
similar story: I saw the peregrine falcon (i'm assuming the one that lived on the cathedral) catch a pigeon up by the Pete. Very cool stuff.
Has anyone seen otters in PA? I've seen the exhibit at Ohiopyle but have never seen them in the wild. I've always been fascinated with them.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
I live in the very southern part of Morrisons Cove in Bedford County (northern part of the county) and I have a camp in a remote area of northwestern Huntingdon County. I hike a lot so I'm all over the place, up here.
Lol. Working downtown we’d see them. One time I was in a meeting and a falcon was just shredding a pigeon outside the window. Everyone just kind of stopped and stared.
I saw a bald eagle in Oil Creek State Park flying along the river with a rabbit in its talons. Pretty bad ass to see that stuff.
bedford springs! i knew nothing about that place. came around that corner and saw that big hotel and like, "wtf is that!??"
i don't live near harrisburg and did a lot of hiking. you don't see hardly any wildlife around there. i know that's changed a bit in the last 10 years with some bears but really nothing much.
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anon_vmuicqnzlyp3u
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anon_vmuicqnzlyp3u
Guest
I am from Bedford and was born and raised just a few miles down the road. Bedford Springs is very Historic and several Presidents have stayed there and James Buchannon made it his summer home basically. Awesome place and that were I stay when I go to visit the parents
yeah but when you know nothing about it, driving through podunk PA and all of a sudden you see that. like, "whoaaa," what in the world is THAT. fun little history story if anyone doesn't know, look it up. this was probably 15-ish years ago but we played golf there. it was like $10 or something ridiculous...in the summer.
i know they redid it. are they actually making $$?
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