this page is most definitely a work in progress!
No, not "encounters" as in "I was running through the woods and suddenly got jumped by a mountain lion" but rather a variety of critters that I've seen in my time outdoors... accompanied by a photo when I've taken a decent one.
BIRDS
Common Loon (Gavia immer) - Sabattis, during Labor Day weekend camping trips in the Adirondacks
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) - on the Genesee River in Genesee Valley Park and the Erie Canal west of Rochester; on the Mohawk River and the Old Erie Canal west of Rotterdam Junction
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) - along the Mohawk River and Hudson River; in Utica Marsh; along the Genesee River at Turning Point basin; and many other places
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) - Durand Eastman Park; along the Genesee River at Turning Point basin
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) - seemingly everywhere!
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) - too many places to list!
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) - along the Mohawk River, in both Niskayuna and Schenectady
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) - along the Genesee River at Turning Point basin
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) - along the Mohawk River in Niskayuna
Hooded Merganser (Lophodtes cucullatus) - at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) - along the Old Erie Canal west of Schenectady; Powder Mills Park; Five Rivers EEC
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) - Thacher Park; Letchworth State Park; Albany Pine Bush; and too many other places to list!
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) - along the Mohawk River in Niskayuna
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) - Tinker Nature Park
Eastern Towhee (Pipilio erythrophthalmus) - Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve, Albany Pine Bush
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) - Black Creek Park
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) - too many places to list
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) - the bike path, Pine Bush
Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) - the bike path, Pine Bush
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) - too many places to list!
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) - too many places to list!
MAMMALS
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS
