KSC-07pd0716

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- This mother eagle appears wary as she stands in her nest at the north end of S.R. 3 near Kennedy Space Center. The resident eagle parents are raising two offspring. It is one of a dozen eagle nests both in KSC and in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which surrounds KSC. The refuge includes several wading bird rookeries, many osprey nests, up to 400 manatees during the spring, and approximately 2,500 Florida scrub jays. It also is a major wintering area for migratory birds. More than 500 species of wildlife inhabit the refuge, with 15 considered federally threatened or endangered. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley