McKay Bay

When you park if you look around the areas that aren't the main paved trail you see an impressive amount of beer cans and condoms. When you get out of your car you notice a lot shady people just hanging out in their car. I don't know what drug deals look like but I always picture them waiting to make their exchange... or steal a kid or something. Not EVERY car but it's weird. It's one of the few places I worry about coming back to a broken window and no car stereo. And it has nothing to do with nearby Palmetto Beach being slightly Hispanic (very nice neighborhood!) - it's generally middle aged white guys sitting in those cars.

Once you start walking you notice someone spent money on signs and maybe this was really nice once. But when you see some that are completely absorbed by tree branches you realize that's very past tense.

When you reach the boardwalk - which isn't very clear - the sign says "...unsafe... Costs for repairs have been requested for fiscal year 2015 budget. Repairs will be made pending budget approval.". So I'm guessing that went up in 2014. It's funny to have return visits and see even that sign needs repairs. So this is all "Welcome to Florida's Typical Priorities".

If you keep walking it's unclear where this place ends because it goes very close to but around a ton of garbage for recycling and a bicycle impound. But birds love filth and muck so that's kind of good news. Very unpleasant walk but birds.

Along the way there are a couple of ponds and we haven't seen a lot of ducks (except gallinules) but a fair number of wading birds.

Once behind the recycling stuff so the bay is nearby (but off a hill and not really visible) - you tend to see a good number of sparrows and warblers in there. Very hard to photograph usually though because you tend to get right up on them and they just become invisible.

We've always found it to be a very unpleasant walk - just all of it - but like I said - it does have a fair number of birds even without the boardwalk.

It's too bad this place is basically abandoned because from the highway at a distance you can see that there are a ton of shore birds where the boardwalk should come out.