JNevitt Gallery

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge encompasses over 27,000 acres on Maryland's beautiful Eastern Shore and has been designated a "Wetlands of International Importance" by the Ramsar Convention.

As a major stop on the Atlantic Flyway, Blackwater is a vital haven for waterfowl, as well as a sanctuary for the threatened American bald eagle, the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel, and the recently delisted peregrine falcon.

The best time for viewing waterfowl is between mid-October and mid-March. Wintering species include tundra swans, Canada and snow geese, and over 20 ducks species. The most common ducks found here are mallards, black ducks, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, widgeon, and pintails. Although most waterfowl migrate north in the spring, some remain through the summer, using the protected areas of the Refuge to raise their young. These nesting waterfowl include Canada geese, mallards, black ducks, wood ducks, and blue-winged teal. Other large resident birds include the great blue heron and the bald eagle. Sightings of eagles are fairly common, as Blackwater is the center of the greatest nesting density of bald eagles in the eastern United States north of Florida. The golden eagle is also frequently sighted on the Refuge. Over 85 species of birds breed in the refuge woodlands and surrounding habitat.

The Refuge woodlands provide year-round homes for owls, towhees, woodpeckers, nuthatches, bobwhite and woodcock. Also a fast growing population of wild turkeys can be seen. The warmer months invite warblers, vireos, orioles, flycatchers, and many others to this same habitat.

You may also want to bring snacks and a warm beverage in a thermos. We will meet at the Wall-Mart in Cambridge and then caravan about 12 miles to the visitor center at Blackwater. There are restrooms at the visitor's center when you enter the refuge.

You will need a telephoto lens that is at least 300 mm and may also want a teleconverter too. The eagles can be pretty far away resting in trees but in plain view. There will also be lots of Canada Geese and snow geese there to photograph and a medium telephoto lens is usually the best lens to use for those flight shots of large flocks.

Sightings of bald eagles are fairly common throughout the year, as Blackwater Refuge is the center of the greatest nesting density of breeding bald eagles on the East Coast, north of Florida. There are 30 nesting pairs living on Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. The golden eagle is also sometimes sighted on the Refuge.

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