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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Immature Brown Pelicans and Double-Crested Cormorant
I find the way pelicans and cormorants hold onto edges or branches fascinating. They can actually hold on by curling their feet around the edge. The cormorant has a long middle toe, but the webbing makes the grasp look so odd. The brown pelican is a symbol of conservation success, nearly wiped out by DDT they have, happily, made a comeback.
ImmaturePelicansCormorantFloridaMerrittMerritt Islandbirdsbrown pelicanconservationrock breakerswater_birdswildlifecormorant juvenileDouble Crested Cormorant
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