McKay Bay is the name given to the northeastern corner of

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...

, a body of water in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. The McKay Bay Greenway runs through the area on the east side of McKay Bay and connects to the

Tampa Bypass Canal The Tampa Bypass Canal and Palm River are a flood bypass operated by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The canal includes several concrete flood control structures and was constructed during the 1960s and 1970s. Its purpose is to re ...

. McKay Bay Nature Park is located at 685 North 34th Street in Tampa. The area also includes the McKay Bay Resource Recovery Plant, a power plant fueled with refuse. The lake was man-made and was once used as a cooling pond for a city incinerator. McKay Bay is at the northeast corner of Hillsborough Bay, which is the name given to the portion of Tampa Bay on the east side of Tampa's Interbay Peninsula. It is named after James McKay Sr. The Lake is undredged and shallow. It is surrounded by mangrove and salt marsh wetlands. At low tide, the exposed area is a feeding ground for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds. Avian residents include the

American avocet The American avocet (''Recurvirostra americana'') is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae, that is found in North America. It spends much of its time foraging in shallow water or on mud flats, often sweeping its bill ...

, black-necked stilt, black skimmer, white pelican,

Northern shoveler The northern shoveler (; ''Spatula clypeata''), known simply in Britain as the shoveler, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and across most of North America, wintering in southern E ...

canvasback The canvasback (''Aythya valisineria'') is a species of diving duck, the largest found in North America. Taxonomy Scottish-American naturalist Alexander Wilson described the canvasback in 1814. The genus name is derived from Greek ''aithuia'', ...

, green wing teal,

ruddy duck The ruddy duck (''Oxyura jamaicensis'') is a duck from North America and one of the stiff-tailed ducks. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ''oxus'', "sharp", and ''oura'', "tail", and ''jamaicensis'' is "from Jamaica". Taxonomy The r ...

and

glossy ibis The glossy ibis (''Plegadis falcinellus'') is a water bird in the order Pelecaniformes and the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The scientific name derives from Ancient Greek ''plegados'' and Latin, ''falcis'', both meaning "sickle" a ...

. McKay Bay Nature Park is a 38-acre park on McKay Bay that is part of the larger 200-acre McKay Bay Park and Greenway. The park is a location along the

Great Florida Birding Trail Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (''GFBWT'') is a 2,000 mile (3200 km) long collection of more than 500 locations in the U.S. state of Florida where the state's bird habitats are protected. The trail promotes birdwatching, environmenta ...

. There is a .17 mile boardwalk trail through mangroves and mudflats, an observation tower that doubles as an education pavilion, a paved 1.25 mile multi-use trail and .5-mile nature trail. Picnic tables and interpretive signage are offered.

References

{{coord missing, Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Bays of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico Geography of Tampa, Florida Bodies of water of Hillsborough County, Florida