Sunday, April 19: Teaneck Creek Conservancy (TCC)

Rusty Blackbird. Photo by Ric Cohn. 

Montclair Bird Club Birder’s Meet-up

Sunday, April 19, 2026, 8:30 a.m.

Meet in the parking lot at 20 Puffin Way, Teaneck. Contact Beni at mbcoutings@gmail.com for further information.

Teaneck Creek Conservancy (TCC) is a 46-acre wetland that underwent a $7 million model remediation during the Covid pandemic. Part of the Overpeck (Bergen County Park) system, it fully reopened in April 2023. It offers short, looping trails through the Teaneck Creek watershed where native plants and trees have been preserved, and restoration planting projects continue. 

Situated in the middle of a densely populated urban/suburban area, TCC boasts a respectable range of birds for a modestly sized area. April sightings over the years have included: wood duck, gadwall, yellow-bellied sapsucker, common raven, ruby- and golden-crowned kinglet, hermit and wood thrushes, fox, savannah, field, swamp, and chipping sparrows; rusty blackbird, Baltimore oriole, black and white, black-throated blue, yellow-rumped, yellow, palm, and yellow-throated warblers, and many more!

Raptors are frequent visitors and the park offers good dragonfly habitat. Art installations throughout TCC offer historical and community context in a space that has experienced a gamut of land uses. 

The walk will cover under 2 miles on level trails, generally well-drained.  Trail map here: https://www.teaneckcreek.org/maps-and-directions

No restrooms are available at TCC. Nearest restrooms are at Overpeck Park Kayak launch off Degraw Ave. (keep right at the circle and look for kayaks), 5-minutes from TCC.

May 2-5, 2026: Montclair Bird Club Delmarva Trip

Greater Yellowlegs. Photo by Beni Fishbein.

Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) is a great place to bird in early May. We will begin at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge on the coast of Delaware. The refuge is similar to Brigantine in NJ with its’ extensive wildlife drive accessing many ponds, marshes and moist woodlands. Our primary targets will be the shorebirds and waders that should be passing through at this time; a scope is helpful if you have one. We will provide a meeting time to those that sign up; lunch will be brown bagging as we bird, so make sure you bring food. Around mid-afternoon, we will head south to our hotel at the Maryland/Virginia border. Day two will be spent between Millburn Landing and Shad Landing State Parks and perhaps a few additional local hot spots. These are primarily wooded areas that attract migrating passerines. There are several gentle trails we will walk in addition to the interior roads, looking and listening for spring migrants. Day three will be at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia. In addition to migrating passerines, this is a wonderful area to see waders and shorebirds up close - and hopefully some of the famous Chincoteague ponies the area is known for. Dinners will be at local restaurants and will be as a group. Sign up is required - contact Donna Traylor at montclairbirdclub1920@gmail.com.

Saturday, May 2: Cold Brook Farm, Tewksbury, NJ

Yellow warbler. Photo by Ric Cohn.

Registration limited to 12 participants.

Meet at 8:30 am in Tewksbury, New Jersey, at the address sent to you on registration.

This trip will take place rain or shine, unless it is pouring.

Join us at Cold Brook Farm, the home of club members Deb and Jason DeSalvo. We will explore fields, wooded areas, the river, and wetlands to discover the many different migratory and breeding bird species that use this restored property to refuel and to nest. Deb and Jason have been working hard to remove invasive plant species and plant natives to improve the habitat for insects, birds, and other animals. Among the nest boxes they have installed are those for American kestrels and eastern bluebirds. Our May 2025 trip to Cold Brook Farm yielded 58 species, including great horned owl, 4 flycatcher species, 4 vireo species, rose-breasted grosbeak, bobolink, ruby-throated hummingbird and 6 warbler species.   

Bring binoculars, a snack, and something to drink. If it has rained recently, waterproof boots are recommended.

Email mbcoutings@gmail.com if you want to attend. Address and driving directions will be sent to you once you register.