Day Five - Lettuce Lake Park and John B. Sargeant Sr. Park

I was planning to bird at Cockroach Bay Rd. and the park on July 5, but I got a later start than usual, and I could not find an address for the park in my GPS. So I decided to go to Lettuce Lake Park, hoping to pick up a Limpkin and possibly some rails or waders. The lake was basically a large swamp with miles of boardwalk. Unfortunately, the water levels were so high from the tropical storm, the waders had dispersed. The only wader I saw the whole time was a White Ibis, and I did not see any Limpkins or rails, but I did often hear the loud, piercing call of the Limpkin as I walked the boardwalk.

When I first arrived at the park, I heard this young Red-shouldered Hawk begging near the parking lot beside the boardwalk. I found the bird and took this video and a few photos. This was the first Red-shouldered Hawk I had clearly seen during the whole trip.







As I walked the boardwalk, I noticed another raptor soaring high above, and then there were two, three, four, five, six, seven Swallow-tailed Kites flying over.



As I continued on the boardwalk, I heard a familiar call and looked up to see a Prothonotary Warbler. I followed the bird's call as it flew about until it eventually landed at eye level a few yards from me in a dark part of the swamp. Amazingly, its bright feathers still blazed like a lamp in the darkness.





As I came to the end of the boardwalk, feeling disappointment that I had not seen more birds, I was greeted by a small group of warblers and a Red-eyed Vireo. The warblers included Northern Parulas, Common Yellowthroats, and strangely, a Mourning Warbler!

Here are a few of the hatch year parula.







Below is the complete list from Lettuce Lake Park.

Lettuce Lake Park, Hillsborough, US-FL
Jul 5, 2012 8:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Protocol: Area
7.0 ac
16 species

Wood Duck 2
Swallow-tailed Kite 7
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
Carolina Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4
Prothonotary Warbler 2
Mourning Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 3
Northern Parula 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Common Grackle 2

When I left Lettuce Lake, I decided to try one more location since I saw so few species at that park, but I did not have a lot of time left to bird. The only "park" I could find on my GPS that was close by was John B. Sargeant Park. It did not turn out to be very good. There were a couple of trails there next to the swamp, and canoe rentals were available. The whole place looked like excellent habitat for alligators. As I started down one of the trails, I notice that parts of the trail were flooded. I did not think trudging through would be very safe. So I turned around, and walked a boardwalk. It was relatively short compared to the one at Lettuce Lake that had seemed more like a bunch of intertwining trails than a boardwalk. I was quickly back to the canoe rental, where I saw another trail on the other side of the swamp. As I started walking down this trail, I got a good look at these two Black Vultures perched above.





After walking a little further, I saw something jump across the trail toward the water just a few yards in front of me. It turned out to be a rather large Water Moccasin (Cottonmouth).





At this point I felt thankful to God that I had not been bitten and decided to go back to the car. I'm so glad the snake saw me before I stepped on it or got too close.

On the way back to Greg's house, I stopped to photograph a lovely pair of Sandhill Cranes that I noticed beside the road.





Back at Greg's house, I took a quick shot of this gecko on the house.



Carrie had been learning from Lynn how to make my mother's chocolate pound cake, while I was gone that morning. This was to be the second such cake we had partaken of during our brief stay with my brother. After I got back, Greg came home for lunch and to partake of the warm chocolate pound cake with vanilla glaze icing. He was also there to see us off since we were soon to leave to visit Carrie's uncle, aunt, and cousins in Palm Harbor. By the way, I had often told Carrie that I could not really get excited about cake in Illinois because it could not compare to my mother's chocolate pound cake. I think she must have been annoyed by these kinds of comments, but Carrie now understands and has already made a chocolate pound cake since we returned. Furthermore, she cannot stop talking about North Carolina Chocolate Pound Cake or Sarah Murphy's Chocolate Pound Cake, and most everyone who tried the cake she made wanted a second slice. By itself, it is irresistible. When combined with Carrie's homemade ice cream, it is indescribable!

Getting back to the birds, Carrie did see her lifer Common Gallinule in the backyard detention pond before we left!



As we drove through Tampa toward Palm Harbor on Race Track Rd., we saw something different in the pond at the entrance of the Waterchase subdivision. I had thought it was a Glossy Ibis until we pulled off and got a closer look. Finally, a Limpkin! It was such a relief to see this bird in a pond by the road after spending most of the morning searching for one in a swamp without success.







As we continued driving, we saw a couple more Common Gallinules and some Wood Storks.



We were at the intersection in front of a Publix in Palm Harbor, when I noticed a Nanday (Black-hooded Parakeet) on the power line. Carrie pulled over to let me out, but by the time I had walked back to where we had seen the parakeet, the bird had been flushed by a guy mowing the grass by the sidewalk. I believe this bird is accepted as countable by the Florida Ornithological Society, but not by the ABA. It was nice to finally be able to identify one of the parakeets I had seen, and it was better that both Carrie and I could add more lifers for the day and see these birds together. We both added Limpkin and Nanday Parakeet, and Carrie also added Common Gallinule to her life list. We were also blessed to sleep in another comfortable bed that night after being well received and fed by Carrie's Uncle Rex.

Written and published on July 23, 2012