Super Shots

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

• Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge, AL

Quincey Banks likes the refuge’s varied habitats and species, from wading birds to bobcats. Photos

• Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, UT

Mia McPherson is thrilled by nesting shorebirds in summer and thousands of tundra swans in winter. Photos

• 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

• 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? (Photo: Keith Ramos/USFWS)

• Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, WY

Project leader Tom Koerner takes dramatic photos of wildlife in the high-desert sagebrush steppe. Photos

A coyote leaps after prey at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming. (Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS)

• Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge, IA

Wildlife biologist Jessica Bolser records the seasonal movements of birds and other animals. Photos

Fall-Roosting Monarchs (Photo: Jessica Bolser/USFWS)

• Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, AK

Alaska refuges communications coordinator Lisa Hupp photographs iconic wildlife in dramatic landscapes. Photos

Bears at the Feast (Photo: Lisa Hupp/USFWS)

• 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. (Photo: Roy W. Lowe/USFWS)

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