Saturday, October 3, 2026: Troy Meadows Natural Area

Swamp sparrow. Photo by Ric Cohn. 

8:30 am to 11:30 am. Rain date: Sunday, October 4.

Meet at the small parking area on your left (close to the gas pipeline crossing) just beyond the end of Troy Meadows Road.

Troy Meadows in Parsippany/East Hanover is an excellent place to encounter a wide variety of songbirds, waterfowl, wading birds, raptors, and if we're lucky, some possible rarities. The last time we did this walk, we were treated to sightings of a variety of sparrows including field, Lincoln’s, swamp and savannah.

Bring binoculars. Dress for the weather. This area can be very wet; waterproof, high boots are recommended. There are no bathrooms at this location. 

In the case of rain, check our website, www.montclairbirdclub.org and your weekly email blast for updates. You can also send an email to mbcoutings@gmail.com.

Google pin for exact location of parking lot turnoff:  40.84913908249395, -74.38472085305187.

Saturday, October 10, 2026: Commerce Road Wetlands, Fairfield, New Jersey

American pipit. Photo by Micheal Yellin.

A birder’s meet-up 

Meet at the end of Commerce Road in Fairfield at 8 a.m. (a nearby address is 26 Commerce Road).

If rain has recently been heavy, this walk will be moved to an alternate site, as Commerce Road Wetlands becomes impassable. Watch our website, club emails or write to mbcoutings@gmail.com for further information. 

Commerce Road Wetlands’ marsh and pond border the Passaic River in western Essex County next to Great Piece Meadow. EBird lists 116 species as being seen there in Octobers past including: rusty blackbird, American pipit, late migrant warblers and a variety of sparrows, shorebirds, and raptors. On last year’s walk at this time, 39 species were seen or heard including semipalmated sandpiper, American pipit, purple finch and rusty blackbird.

Wear waterproof shoes or boots. Bring binoculars, a scope if you have one, bug spray, and sunscreen. Be sure to wear a hat and carry water. There are no bathrooms at this location.

Saturday, November 14, 2026: DeKorte Park Photography Walk

Double-crested cormorants. Photo by Ric Cohn.

with Sandy Sorkin and Ric Cohn

Meet at 8:00 am at the DeKorte main parking lot near the entrance. (click for directions)

Rain date: Sunday, November 15

Join us for a Montclair Bird Club photography trip to Richard W. DeKorte Park, in Secaucus. We’ll meet in the parking lot at 8:00 am with cameras, tripods, scopes, binoculars, and smartphones. There is no requirement that you carry something, but some water and a snack might be practical.

We’ll take our time following the boardwalk and trail, keeping the sun over our shoulders concentrating on photographing birds, landscapes, and any other slice of nature we encounter. We plan to finish around 10:30 am. Along the way we can share tips, assist each other with equipment, and review shots. If you are new to photography or just prefer to watch photographers, you are welcome to come along.  There is one bathroom at this site located in the parking lot. Contact Sandy Sorkin on 973-698-7900 or Ric Cohn on 917-414-3392 for further information. 

If the group is interested, we will also schedule a Zoom session follow up to discuss images from the day. The purpose of the review will be to answer questions, discuss camera settings, and look at some images from our walk. We can also talk about workflow, picture storage, and processing software. We will wait for group input to schedule the Zoom session.

In your GPS, search for DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst NJ.