Join the
Friends of Blackwater
and protect wildlife, receive special benefits, and enjoy local discounts

The Friends offer online galleries of photos captured from the Eagle Cam and Osprey Cam.

The Friends of Blackwater are excited to announce that we have three eggs in our Eagle Cam nest, which is located high in a loblolly pine tree at Blackwater NWR. The eggs were laid from January 13-19, and should begin hatching around February 17. Follow the action on our Eagle Cam web page and also in our Eagle Cam Web Log.

The staff at Blackwater NWR have announced that the 14th Annual Eagle Festival will be held on March 15, 2014 at the Refuge. This is our most popular event of the year, and it will be even more exciting this year now that the newly renovated Visitor Center is open again. Inside the Visitor Center we have new flat screen monitors that show live video from our Eagle and Osprey Cams, so festival attendees will be able to see our newly hatched Eagle Cam chicks in action on the monitors, as well as take one of our popular Eagle Prowls out on the Wildlife Drive to see the eagles in their habitat. Be sure to bring the family for a full day of eagle fun at Blackwater NWR on March 15. 

The Blackwater NWR staff announced recently that they've closed the popular Marsh Edge Trail at the Refuge because eagles that have nested near the trail in previous years have returned for another season. In order to avoid disturbing the birds, the trail has been closed until the summer, when any eaglets will have fledged.

Please consider joining the Friends of Blackwater. The Friends count on members for support, which enables us to assist with many wonderful projects at Blackwater Refuge, such as the raptor cams, the Visitor Center gift shop, the land and water trails, and the environmental education programs. And if you received a reminder to renew your membership, please renew so we can continue to support one of the best national wildlife refuges in America.