Reading Room: Sample

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, the second largest refuge in Florida, is located on a unique barrier island consisting of 140,000 acres of salt marshes, freshwater impoundments, brackish estuaries, hardwood hammocks, pine flatwoods, Florida scrub and pristine beaches. Blessed with these diverse habitats, Merritt Island remains unsurpassed as a refuge for endangered species, and supports 21 wildlife species listed as endangered or threatened, more than any other single refuge in the United States.

Located where the subtropical and temperate climatic zones meet, Merritt Island and its surrounding waterways encompass ecosystems teaming with life, including the Indian River Lagoon, named as one of North America's most biologically productive estuaries. Strategically located on the "Atlantic Flyway," a major bird migration corridor, the refuge is a key resting and feeding stop for many migrating bird species. 

The cool, sunny days of November usher in the peak season for birdwatching at the refuge. As birds migrate south along the coast, they stop when they reach the fertile wetlands of the refuge and the protection offered by the undeveloped barrier island. Merritt Island is considered one of the state's prime birding sites: more than 330 species of birds can be found on the wildlife refuge including the Florida scrub-jay, roseate spoonbill, reddish egret, American wood stork, white pelican, bald eagle, American avocet, black-necked stilt and northern pintail.

Birding the different habitats on the refuge can be exceptionally rewarding, particularly from November through March; visiting a variety of these habitats will ensure the richest birding experiences. Impoundments and salt marshes offer the most diversified viewing opportunities, including wading birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, gulls, terns, rails, sparrows, blackbirds and raptors. In the refuge's hardwood hammocks, you'll find excellent birding for warblers and other songbirds during the fall and spring migration. The pine flatwoods host breeding populations of bald eagles, which nest annually in the large pine trees in the winter months. One of the last three stronghold populations of the threatened Florida scrub-jay are found in the refuge's fire-dependent scrub habitat. Finally, 43 miles of pristine dune and beach habitat draw in sanderlings, willets, red knots, ruddy turnstones, black-bellied plovers, gulls and terns, and other shorebirds.

 Together, the refuge, seashore and NASA form a sheltered space, where the countdown is not only for spaceships, but also for many endangered plants and animals that need this landscape to ensure their continued existence. The unique relationship the refuge shares with NASA bears testimony to the idea that nature and technology can peacefully coexist.