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
"The reddish egret is a charismatic species ...It's affinity for barren shallow flats and its extremely active foraging behavior make it easily identifiable ..." Cornell BNA. It is like watching a dance to see it hunt.
JuvenileMorphEgretFloridaMerritt IslandReddish Egretbirdsconservationimmaturejuvenile Reddish Egretwaderwater_birdswildlife