Birds of Merritt Island NWR Gallery
The refuge traces its beginnings to the development of the nation’s Space Program. In 1962, NASA acquired 140,000 acres of land, water, and marshes adjacent to Cape Canaveral to establish the John F. Kennedy Space Center. NASA built a launch complex and other space-related facilities, but development of most of the area was not necessary. In 1963 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed an agreement to establish the refuge and in 1975 a second agreement established Canaveral National Seashore. Today, the Department of Interior manages most of the unused portions of the Kennedy Space Center as a National Wildlife Refuge and National Seashore.
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Juvenile Dark Morph Reddish Egret 1
This little grey bird will grow up to be a stunning reddish egret. The reddish egret is the least studied of all egrets. It was nearly wiped out by the feather trade. Although quite obvious in Florida, it is not easily seen elsewhere. There might be only 7000 adults in existence.
juvenileMorphEgretFloridaMerritt IslandReddish Egretbirdsconservationwater_birdswildlife
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