Pasco Audubon

Black Rail Survey - Werner Boyce State Park

Project of the Pasco Audubon Chapter of National Audubon in Co-ordination with Tracy Muzyczka of Florida DEP and the State Park Staff; Mike Faustini and Karen Strawn.

Werner Boyce State Park is a 4 mile long stretch of Coastal Florida containing Salt Marsh, Salt Water Springs and Needle Rush. Habitat for some imperiled species of birds, including Seaside Sparrows and Black Rail. (Park is still in recovery mode from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, which included 4-6 feet of storm surge)

Tracy Muzyczka of Florida DEP has been coordinating efforts between an Pasco Audubon team and a team from Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park. The purpose of the project is to locate endangered Black Rails in the park, with a view to preserving and enhancing their habitat. 2025 is the first of a multi-year project.

2025 - Pasco Audubon acquired a Field Audio Recording Unit and this spring (April - May - June), we recorded over 300 hours of audio in the park. Recording the hour before Sunrise and Sunset and one hour after. Analysis of recordings is ongoing. Donations needed for storage costs. First year recordings are 200GB in size. Permanent offline and online storage costs need to be covered.

List of Species Heard.
List compiled by using Merlin in front of play back speakers. (List date 10/11/2025)