Waubay National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in Day County, South Dakota. It sits roughly 17.4 km (10.8 mi) NE of Webster.
Waubay National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota, United States. "Waubay" means "a place where numbers of birds make their nests" in the Dakota language. The Refuge encompasses 4,650 acres (18.8 km2) of wetlands, native tallgrass prairie, and bur oak forest that provide a wide variety of nesting habitat for more than 100 species of waterfowl, song birds, and upland game birds as well as 140 additional bird species during migrations. Mammals include species from the ever-present white-tailed deer to the more elusive coyote and the diminutive pygmy shrew. The central location of Waubay National Wildlife Refuge in North America gives visitors the chance to see a mix of eastern, western, northern, and southern species.From the Wikipedia article “Waubay National Wildlife Refuge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Waubay National Wildlife Refuge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:33 AM | 90° E | 7:42 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:42 AM | 55° NE | 9:22 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:17 AM | 89° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:07 AM | 124° ESE | 4:50 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 43m |
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 | 7:33 AM | 8:06 AM | 8:53 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 07m |
| February | 7:02 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:27 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:22 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:05 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:14 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:43 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:28 PM | 14h 53m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:35 PM | 9:20 PM | 9:58 PM | 15h 39m |
| July | 5:20 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:31 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:52 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:59 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:39 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:12 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:16 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:26 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:15 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:57 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:14 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 32m |
| December | 7:29 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:52 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:22 PM | 8h 44m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Waubay National Wildlife Refuge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:34 AM – 5:54 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:34 AM – 4:44 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:34 AM – 3:44 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:57 PM – 2:57 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:40 PM – 1:40 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:35 PM – 11:45 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:24 PM – 9:44 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 49 | 65 | 80 | 87 | 95 | 103 | 108 | 105 | 97 | 87 | 71 | 51 |
| Low °F | -44 | -28 | -21 | 4 | 22 | 39 | 45 | 44 | 30 | 2 | -7 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
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
- 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.
- A 400–600 mm lens (or a crop body) is the usual tool for birds.
- Fast shutter speeds (1/2000 s+) freeze wingbeats; raise ISO rather than lose the shot.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Waubay National Wildlife Refuge?
What time is golden hour at Waubay National Wildlife Refuge?
Where does the sun rise and set at Waubay National Wildlife Refuge?
Can you see the Milky Way from Waubay National Wildlife Refuge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Waubay National Wildlife Refuge?
How far is Waubay National Wildlife Refuge from Webster?
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.