2010 has been a great year, providing me many opportunities to continue learning about nature photography. I’ve been fortunate this year to photograph in fantastic places like Arches, Canyonlands, Shenandoah, Great Smoky Mountains and Zion National Parks, along with many other state and local parks. I wanted to put in one more day of photography during 2010 so I took an early drive to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge near Cambridge, MD. I was hoping to find some Bald Eagles and my very first photograph happened to catch an eagle sitting at the top of a tree as the morning sky turned pink.

I saw several Bald Eagles in the Refuge but I was surprised to encounter a huge number of Snow Geese that had stopped to rest on the ice covered waters of Little Blackwater River. I waited for their eventual “take-off” as the entire flock leaps into the air at once with every bird in a frenzy of flight.  It is quite a spectacle of sight and sound.

Blackwater NWR maintains an ‘eagle-cam’ which allows anyone on the Internet to watch the progress of nest building, egg hatching and fledging of young eagles.  Already, a pair of Bald Eagles has begun building their nest (that’s one of the eagles on the eagle-cam platform below).  You can watch for yourself at this link: Blackwater NWR Eagle-Cam

I’m looking forward to 2011 with trips planned to the Olympic Peninsula in the state of Washington and Glacier National Park in Montana.  I have a lot more ‘learin’ to do…

Happy New Year Everyone !!