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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Adult Roseate Spoonbill
This was my first encounter, almost up close, to a roseate spoonbill. The feathers are a flaming scarlet and softer pink. Its bill is spatulate and the bird swings it side to side to feed in shallow water.
FloridaMerritt IslandRoseate Spoonbillbirdswater_birdswildlife
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