Located in Hyde County, North Carolina, Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge. The nearest town is Belhaven, about 33 km (21 mi) away (Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge lies SE of town).
The Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge is located in Hyde County, North Carolina near the village of Swan Quarter. The area is a federally protected land and home to many species of wildlife and waterfowl. The refuge is administered from the nearby Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge has a total area of 16,411 acres (66.41 km2).From the Wikipedia article “Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:51 AM | 60° ENE | 8:24 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:11 AM | 119° ESE | 4:57 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 46m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Wildlife is most active in the first and last two hours of daylight — exactly when the light is warmest.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:47 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 02m |
| February | 6:27 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:28 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 01m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 32m |
| July | 5:33 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 19m |
| August | 5:59 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 30m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:46 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:14 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:18 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 19m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:47 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 47m |
Local time (America/New York), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:53 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:57 AM – 5:47 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:57 AM – 4:57 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 12:02 AM – 4:12 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:09 PM – 3:59 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:05 PM – 2:35 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:28 PM – 12:28 AM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:40 PM – 10:30 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:56 PM – 8:36 PM | 0.7 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.81 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (57%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 70 | 71 | 75 | 81 | 93 | 96 | 97 | 96 | 91 | 89 | 79 | 74 |
| Low °F | 14 | 16 | 25 | 36 | 46 | 59 | 66 | 63 | 56 | 41 | 30 | 23 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this national wildlife refuge
- Fast shutter speeds (1/2000 s+) freeze wingbeats; raise ISO rather than lose the shot.
- Migration peaks bring the largest concentrations — see the birding calendar for this state.
- Use auto-loop roads as mobile blinds; animals often tolerate vehicles more than people on foot.
- Stay on designated routes and keep a respectful distance — if an animal changes behavior, you are too close.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Spring and autumn migration are the highlights; winter brings waterfowl to many southern refuges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens (400 mm+), Bean bag for car window, Binoculars. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Launching or landing drones on National Wildlife Refuge lands generally requires a special use permit from the refuge manager, and wildlife disturbance rules apply everywhere.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge, closest first.
Wilderness Area
National Wildlife Refuge
Lake
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Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.