Bill and I headed over to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland to photograph sunrise the other day. Blackwater is one of our favorite wildlife refuges to visit. We always see a variety of wildlife and for some reason – always manage to photograph a wonderful sunrise. This trip was no exception.

Our current favorite spot for sunrise is actually just outside the refuge boundries. We usually head to the bridge just past the intersection of Wildlife Drive and Golden Hill Road (Rt 335). From here, you get a wonderful view of the west end of the refuge. There’s a small parking lot at the boat ramp where you can safely park your car. And since we’re outside the refuge boundries, we don’t have to wait for the gate to open to get to where we want to set up our tripods.

As the sky began to lighten, about 30 minutes before sunrise, we were treated to a magnificent display of pink, orange and blue. The best way to describe the sunrise was peaceful.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

The contrast of the soft colors and the silhouette of the trees on the island was wonderful. As we photographed the sunrise, we could hear the snow geese taking off from the ponds in the middle of the refuge. Every now and then, we’d see them circling in the distance.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

We were a little surprised at how low the water levels were in the marsh. When the area lightened up enough to see just how low the water levels were, I started to see some wonderful patterns in the wet sand and water. They reminded me of some of the patterns I had photographed in Death Valley on the Playa.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

As the sun rose above the horizon, I realized that these patterns in the sand might be incredible if I could capture them in the golden light just after sunrise. So we waited. In a little while the magic happened and some of the patterns in the sand were bathed in some incredible light. It was one of those mornings when the amazing light happens shortly after sunrise.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Once we finished photographing outside the refuge, we headed in for a quick trip around the wildlife drive. We saw all sorts of birds – snow geese, ducks, canada geese, some song birds and several bald eagles. Most of them were far enough away that even with my  long lens the birds would have been mere dots in the photos. I did spot one red-winged blackbird in the marsh grass near the side of the road, so I stopped and took a few photos of him.

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful place to visit. It’s located in Cambridge, Maryland, less than 100 miles from Washington, DC. So it’s an easy overnight trip for us. It’s also a great place to stop if we’re heading to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge or the Assateague Island National Seashore. I’m sure we’ll be visiting there again in the near future and I can only hope that our string of fantastic sunrises at Blackwater continues.