Beauties at Blackwater NWR
In addition to my last posts on Muskrat Love and Red-winged Blackbirds, here are a few more of my favorites taken from the wildlife drive at Blackwater NWR during a partly cloudy, late afternoon a few days ago.
Northern Shoveler (male) and American Coots
Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker
Osprey
Great Blue Heron
Another Great Blue Heron
American Bald Eagle
Greater Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
It has always been a pleasure to visit Blackwater NWR. And now I am only 12 miles away for this gem of a place. When I get my nature itch, you know where I will be going. 🙂
I see that Heron when I canoe at my local lake. Wonderful photo captures!
Thanks BT! So nice you see them too, they are beautiful to watch.
Very Nice! One of my favorite places to photograph! Especially for the Eagles and colorful sunrises and sunsets! Plus the Tubman Trail there is fun to wander around. But I am 4 hours away so I do not get there as often as I would like. But I still have made it probably 30 times or so.
I love the Eagles too. I thought you were local to Blackwater but glad to hear how often you do go there. Your photos are always stunning! The refuge certainly is raw natural marshland beauty, takes my breath away. I used to be almost 2 hours away & worked full-time so it was hard to find time to go then. I do want to visit the Tubman Center and trails too! I am excited with my closeness to it all to say the least! 🙂
These are wonderful photos, especially the GBH who is so sharply focused and showing great detail. With a nature reserve only twelve miles away, you have a gold mine that you can access and be in instant bliss. I no longer have a car but I know what buses to take right here in the city to see those treasured places where the birds come to roost and nest. If I don’t make it today, I will tomorrow. I am itching to get out there, especially after seeing your great photos!
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Thanks so much, Jane! I lucked out on the sun peaking nicely from the cloudy day for that GBH. He hardly moved so he was the perfect model, who, of course, I thanked when I was done. 🙂 It is nice to be so close, there is so much raw, natural beauty around the area with so much marshlands. Just seeing it takes my breath away and refreshes my mind & soul. I hope you made it out today or tomorrow for sure, Jane, and have photos to share with us! 🙂
Lucky you to be so close to Blackwater! Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos. It’s the next best thing for being there!
I am a lucky girl….just got to twist hubby’s arm to go for a ride and it’s ‘along the way’ to wherever! 🙂 Thanks, Susan, I have always loved Blackwater and hope to visit often.
Great to see so much wildlife in one spot, and to have it so close is a real treat! Nice group!
Thanks Ellen! It is a wonderful refuge with a 7-8 mile wildlife drive that goes right through the marshes. I am excited to be so close. 🙂
Beautiful photos Donna. And the Yellowlegs ‘a leaping’ is really something 😊
Thanks Belinda! I really wish I’d have gotten him a little more focused, but he was up and down and hard to follow, lol. I still loved the image and his smile. 🙂
Lovely photos Donna!
Thank you Kelly!
Great set Donna.
Thank you Brian.
Simply great pictures Donna!…only 12 miles from the NWR? That’s not fair! 🙂
Thanks, HJ, I know, right?!!! 🙂
So many great shots! 🙂
Thank you Tom! 🙂
I envy you living so close to a great place for nature photography! Your great photos are a result of your skill with a camera, however, being someplace where there’s so much to photograph helps a good deal. That is, unless you’re overwhelmed by all the opportunities for great images. 😉
The lower Eastern Shore Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay offers so much raw natural beauty. Can it be overwhelming? Sometimes! lol More of the problem is wanting to go every day or stay all day long instead of a lap through here and there. 😉
Amazing shots! They remind me of my home growing up.
Thank you Jen!
Oh, lucky you! Just 12 miles from such a marvelous place! Lucky for us, too, to get to see what you bring back. I started out trying to pick a favorite in this post, but they’re all just marvelous!
I am a lucky girl! We decided to rent around here for a year before buying to decide if we (me lol) really can live this distance from the kids/grkids. The area is raw natural beauty, old watermen towns, and lots of scenic roads through marshes and waterways.
Well, I suppose you could work on moving the kids/grkids closer? 😀 It certainly does look like marvelous area with so much to offer!
A beautiful shoot Donna, I especially love the photo of the Northern Shoveler,it looks not unlike our Australasian Shoveler except for some colouring differences. It is good to see your Yello Legs in flight to see how yellow their legs are, as we never see these birds. Have a wonderful week!
Thank you Ashley! The Northern Shovelers should be migrating north now, so I was very surprised to see them. I was so happy with the Yellowlegs and capture the flights/jumps to get those bright legs! Happy Sunday! Have a wonderful week as well!
Wonderful sightings Donna!
Only 12 miles away!!! WOW, I’m a bit envious. My favorite NWR’s are hours away.
Thanks Deborah! I am excited! 🙂
It’s good that that heron let you get so close for your portraits.
The nice thing about Blackwater NWR is its awesome wildlife drive that meanders through the marshes. The wildlife are cooperative if you stay in/shoot from your car window. 🙂
It is a gift for the soul to have a refuge close by, to access whenever you need to!
It certainly is!!! 🙂
Such beautiful photos! This reminds me that I need to go there again, and this time I will not hurry and go somewhere else afterwards.
Thanks Hien! I love this refuge, it is nice for me to get to return, it’s been a few years. I have a hard time leaving when I arrive. 🙂