Come for the eagles, stay for thousands of others

By KAREN M. LASKI

© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 17, 2001

DORCHESTER COUNTY, Md. -- It may be the best place to see nesting eagles north of Florida, yet eagles are just part of the show at a 25,000-acre refuge located 12 miles south of Cambridge, Md.

Each year tens of thousands of waterfowl descend on Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge between mid-October and mid-March. The refuge is located on the Atlantic Flyway, one of three major migratory paths crossing the United States. Like all flyways, it is an important feeding and resting area for migrating or wintering waterfowl. It is their equivalent of Florida in the winter.

Some birds come to rest, others to nest. Brackish tidal water, freshwater impoundments and woodland encourage several species to winter over. Canada geese and mallard ducks are here in abundance. Snow geese and tundra swans are fewer in number but still a common sight.

Among the larger birds are hawks and turkey vultures.

Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to see large flocks of ducks, geese and swans. Many leave Blackwater during the day to feed in nearby corn fields, then return to the safety of the refuge. This is the chance to see several thousand Canada geese wheeling and honking as they settle onto the water at sunset.

It is best to remain in your vehicle while traversing the 6.5-mile Wildlife Drive, which winds along marshland and past several freshwater pools. Two hiking trails -- the one-third-mile Marsh Edge Trail and the half-mile Woods Trail -- let visitors experience the area on foot.

Bring binoculars for a close-up view of inhabitants, and bring a good birding guide to help you identify them.

Look for eagles sitting atop tall, dead trees, from which they survey the countryside for their next meal. Often their nests are more conspicuous than the birds themselves. Measuring as much as five feet across, the nests are built of sticks, grasses and sometimes rubbish, 50 to 100 feet above the ground. One to three eaglets inhabit the nest for up to about 10 weeks.

In spring, the refuge plays host to large numbers of wading birds, shorebirds and songbirds. Ospreys, great blue herons, snowy egrets and marsh and woodland birds are seen throughout the summer months.

If you go

GETTING THERE: Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is reached via I-495 and then Rt. 50, east to Cambridge, Md. Continue through Cambridge and turn right on Rt. 16. Proceed 12 miles to Rt. 335. Turn left and follow the signs to refuge.

HOURS: The visitor center is open 8-4 weekdays, 9-5 p.m. weekends. It is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Wildlife Drive is open daily from dawn to dusk, year-round.

Contact the refuge at 2145 Key Wallace Drive, Cambridge, MD 21613; call (410) 228-2677.

Karen M. Laski is a freelance writer living in Marshall, Va.

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