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What makes a wildlife photo a standout? The warmth of early-morning or late-day natural light. A dramatic shortening of the normal distance between viewer and subject. A happy convergence of experience, timing, perspective and good fortune.
See some extraordinary images photographers have captured on national wildlife refuges.
Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, DE
April Allyson Abel loved photographing shorebirds at sunrise and sunset. This Flickr album features photos by April Abel, Quincey Banks, MiaMcPerson and Marvin De Jong: Photos
Sunrise is reflected in Slaughter Creek on a spring morning at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge, AL
Quincey Banks likes the refuge’s varied habitats and species, from wading birds to bobcats. Photos
Mayflies in leaves at Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama and Georgia. Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, UT
Mia McPherson is thrilled by nesting shorebirds in summer and thousands of tundra swans in winter. Photos
A snowy egret at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge in Utah. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, NM
Marvin De Jong loves seeing cranes fly against “some of the best sunrises and sunsets I’ve ever seen.” Photos
Sandhill cranes take flight after sunrise at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, ME
Refuge manager Keith Ramos uses his camera to document wildlife at the refuge near the Canadian border. Photos
What Are You Looking At? Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, WY
Project leader Tom Koerner takes dramatic photos of wildlife in the high-desert sagebrush sagebrush
The western United States’ sagebrush country encompasses over 175 million acres of public and private lands. The sagebrush landscape provides many benefits to our rural economies and communities, and it serves as crucial habitat for a diversity of wildlife, including the iconic greater sage-grouse and over 350 other species.
Learn more about sagebrush steppe. PhotosA coyote leaps after prey at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming. Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge, IA
Wildlife biologist Jessica Bolser records the seasonal movements of birds and other animals. Photos
Fall-Roosting Monarchs Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, AK
Alaska refuges communications coordinator Lisa Hupp photographs iconic wildlife in dramatic landscapes. Photos
Bears at the Feast Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, OR
Former refuge manager Roy W. Lowe photographs birds and wildlife along the rocky coast. Photos
Black oystercatchers and Western gulls at Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
