Wildlife Calendar for
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge:
Note: Events may vary by one or two weeks depending on
weather conditions.
January
Geese, swans and ducks are present in the marsh along with
hawks, great
blue herons, and a few species of shorebirds. Mid-winter observations
are best during thaws. Eagles, both bald and golden, are sometimes
conspicuous along the Wildlife Drive. Great horned owls are incubating
eggs while bald eagles are rebuilding their nests high in loblolly pine
trees. 
February
First northward bound migrants appear late in February -
killdeer,
robins, and bluebirds. Eagles lay eggs late in the month. Wintering
waterfowl are preparing for the long flight north through intense
foraging.
March
Most migratory waterfowl depart for points north. Masses of
red-winged
blackbirds pass through; some remain to nest. Osprey return from
southern
wintering grounds and begin constructing nests.
April
Resident ducks and geese are incubating eggs. The majority of
migrant
marsh birds return by mid-April. Blue-winged and green-winged teal
passing through. (Blue-winged are latest in spring and earliest in
fall). Delmarva fox squirrels are born. Young bald eaglets begin
hatching (although some eagles have been known to nest early, and their
eaglets hatch by the end of February). Osprey, wild turkey, and
northern bobwhite all begin to nest.
Late April and early May heralds peak shorebird migrations.
May
Migratory songbirds peak in late April and early May with
warblers
being most conspicuous and abundant. White-tail fawns (usually twins)
begin to appear. Eaglets start to fledge; this will occur from the end
of the month
through the middle of June. The first broods of waterfowl appear.
June
Ospreys hatching in June. Eaglets fledge. Songbirds begin to
nest.
July
Local goslings start to fly. Large quantities of insects
being
consumed by swallows, kingbirds, and flycatchers. The conspicuous
marsh hibiscus (mallow) begins to bloom along marsh edges at end of
month.
Osprey young leave the nest.
August
Wading bird numbers increase. Blue-winged teal from the north
arrive
on southward migration. Some bald eagles disperse northward after
the breeding season.
Note: In the summers be prepared for large concentrations of
flies
and mosquitoes in the marsh and woods. 
September
Ospreys migrate to South and Central America. Waterfowl
numbers
gradually increase. Egrets and herons accumulate until cold weather
pushes them south. Tickseed sunflowers bloom; cattails go to seed.
Songbird migration peaks in late September and early October. Toads
are abundant.
October - December
Autumn colors peak. Blackbirds, the last of the songbird
migrants,
peak in October and November.
Abundance of ducks and geese gradually increases. Peaks occur
in late
October or November. Tundra swans from Northwest Canada usually arrive
in early November. Several hundred remain throughout the winter.
White-tailed and sika deer breed from October to December.
Bald eagle numbers increase with the arrival of migrants from
the north.
Golden eagles are occasionally seen during winter. Waterfowl numbers
decrease. Some remain all winter, others move south or disperse
throughout
the Delmarva Peninsula. Prescribed burning of the marsh begins for
regeneration
of specific waterfowl food resources.
