Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a short 90 minute trip from Annapolis so I thought that it would be a great trip for a Saturday. The refuge is more than 27,000 acres of swamps, marshes, inlets, and tidal areas with mixed amounts of salt, fresh, and brackish waters. My girlfriend and I were able to see multiple birds including hawks, vultures, and a bald eagle. They have a wildlife drive set up for cars, bikes, and pedestrian traffic as well as multiple wooded trails for hikers. While our hikes were very peaceful and quiet (the kind of quiet you can only get in the outdoors!), we saw sparse wildlife. I will come back again in different seasons, possibly during a specific bird migration period, to see what other types of wildlife and species of birds we can spot.
For photographers they have at least one bird blind that looks out over a marsh like area, although on my trip we were unable to see any birds in that location. The entire wildlife drive has multiple points to pull over and get out of your car where you can easily spot birds on the water and in the forest. These vultures we spotted were along the side of the road, approximately 6 to 10. They were very large and imposing creatures.
I had a great time getting outdoors, traveling somewhere new, and getting some good birding pictures. I got the idea for this trip from an article in
Outdoor Photographer where it was a highly recommended location to visit in Maryland.
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