Saturday, January 17, 2026: Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

Song sparrow on left, field sparrow on right. Photo by Ric Cohn.

Meet at 8:30 am at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center, 32 Pleasant Plains Road, Harding Township, NJ.

Canceled if weather is threatening.

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is a 7,000-acre refuge in suburban Morris County. It has a variety of habitats, including hardwood swamp, marsh, upland deciduous woods, fields, and open water, which support a wide diversity of bird life year-round. We will start at the Helen Fenske Visitor Center and make our way to the boardwalk areas. On last year’s January trip to Great Swamp, we saw 36 species, including the eastern bluebird, white-crowned sparrow, and red-shouldered hawk. Ebird lists 106 species for the month, including the American tree sparrow and rusty blackbird as well as a variety of waterfowl, raptors, and passerines.  

Bring binoculars, a snack and something to drink. Dress warmly. Be sure to email mbcoutings@gmail.com if you plan to come, in case of inclement weather or road closures. We will finish at 11:30 am.

There are outhouses at the meeting location and a bathroom by the boardwalks. 

Feb. 18–20, 2026: Cape Ann, Massachusetts

Led by Donna Traylor.

Montclair Bird Club will be visiting Cape Ann in Massachusetts again this year. This February outing is a two-and-a-half–day trip through the Cape Ann peninsula (Amesbury, Gloucester, Rockport, Plum Island, Bass Rocks, and more). It’s a cold and windy trip that often turns up some very interesting birds, including white-winged gulls, alcids, scoters and other ducks, both loons, or snowy and short-eared owls.

Reservation and Sign-up Details

Hotel: Fairfield Inn

35 Clarks Road, Amesbury, Massachusetts

Phone 978 388-3400

Room rate $104 plus applicable taxes

To receive this rate when making your reservation, you MUST identify yourself as with the Montclair Bird Club. Cancellation is possible up to 24 hours before check-in date. Reservations must be made no later than February 2 to receive this special rate and special cancellation policy.

Participants must register in advance with Donna (montclairbirdclub1920@gmail.com). You will then receive a tentative schedule. We typically leave for our first birding stop around 8:00 or 8:30 on Wednesday. If you happen to have Talk About radios, please bring them to make it easier to stay in touch while driving. Pack appropriate clothing layers for extreme winter weather, and hope not to have to use them all! Proper footwear is important: there is limited walking, but it could be icy or snow-covered. Bring a scope if you have one; we will have two with us. Dinners will be a group affair; let me know if you plan on joining us on Tuesday evening. The trip will conclude at mid-day on Friday on the northern New Hampshire coast.

Week of March 11-15: Woodcock Watch - A Birder's Meet-up

American woodcock. Photo by Rick Wright.

Week of March 11-15, 2026 (specific date dependent upon the woodcock’s calendar). Meet at 6:15 p.m. Address provided upon registration. To register, email your contact information to MBCoutings@gmail.com. Attendance limited to 12 people.

Each spring, American woodcock males put on an amazing courtship display that we can witness here in NJ. At dawn and dusk, the males produce a loud peent call from the ground, then spring up into the air, flying in a wide spiral with their wings twittering. Once they reach 200-250 feet, they zig zag back to the ground, chirping as they go. 

Club member, Deb DeSalvo, has generously offered to host a meet-up to view the woodcock courtship dance at her Hunterdon County farm in Oldwick, NJ. Depending upon when the woodcocks begin to display, Deb will give us a heads-up and the meet-up will happen in the next day or two. Woodcock courtship usually happens sometime between March 11-15.  Once we arrive, we will walk around Deb’s property for a short time, birding as we go. At sunset, which is around 7 p.m., we will walk to a wetland area at the northern end of her property, where we are likely to hear and, with luck, see the birds.