Visiting Tampa’s Lettuce Lake Park
Upon my return to Tampa, the first place I went birding was Lettuce Lake Conservation Park. Lettuce Lake is conveniently located in north Tampa near the University of South Florida campus. It’s a reliable site for good birding year round with easy walking trails and a 3,500-ft boardwalk.
It’s along the boardwalk where I did most of my birding. The boardwalk takes visitors through a hardwood forest swamp along the Hillsborough River floodplain. There is an observation tower on the boardwalk that provides scenic views of the Hillsborough River.
A section of the boardwalk at LLP.
Observation Tower that provides scenic views of the Hillsborough River.
Sections of the boardwalk were damaged by recent storms and are currently closed for repairs. However, the sections that are open continue to provide good birding opportunities. On Thursday, I counted 20 species from the boardwalk. This section is through dense hardwood marsh where it’s easy to miss birds, so I took it very slow and kept a sharp eye and ear.
My bird list:
1 Limpkin (by sound only)
4 Pied-billed Grebe
3 Double-crested Cormorant
12 White Ibis
7 Yellow-crowned Night Heron
2 Black-crowned Night Heron
1 Little Blue Heron
2 Great Egret
200+ Turkey Vulture
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
1 American Kestrel (flying overhead)
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
2 Northern House Wren
4 Black-and-white Warbler
1 Common Yellowthroat
6 Palm Warbler
37 Yellow-rumped Warbler.
For photography, I brought my Nikon Z8 and Nikkor 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens. With a minimum focusing distance of 1.3 m/4.27 ft (at 180 mm) and 2.4 m/7.88 ft (at 600 mm), it is perfect for photographing birds at close distances. While I normally prefer prime lenses, a good zoom lens like this is the perfect choice when there is a strong possibility of photographing both small and large birds.
The mornings were nice and cool and the birds were just great. Most of the birds I saw were near the canoe & kayak launch area. The trees were filled with songbirds. The Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night herons were in groups near the observation tower. They blended perfectly in their environment and were hard to spot. Occasionally, someone would walk by and ask what I was photographing and even after I pointed out exactly where the heron was they could not see them.
Speaking of others on the trail…keep in mind this is a busy park, which means lots of people on the trails, particularly mid-morning. And not all of these people are there for the wildlife. Most are families out taking a walk looking for alligators, and many others are there for exercise. It is very common for large groups of families and kids to come barreling and screaming down the boardwalk. Be prepared for the typical comments like “that sure is a big camera!” and “what are you taking pictures of?” just as you get lined up for the perfect shot. My advice is to get there early and leave early if this is something that might be a nuisance for you.
If you’re in the Tampa area, Lettuce Lake Park is a place you should visit. Over the years I have found photography there to be somewhat challenging (i.e., limited by the boardwalk and crowds), but I have always enjoyed the walk and seeing a large variety of wildlife.
Happy birding!
