Saturday, February 7: Wallkill River NWR

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Meet at the Owen’s Station Road Parking Lot, 136 Owens Station Road, Sussex, NJ at 2 p.m.

This trip cancels in the event of inclement weather.

The Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge is a designated Important Bird and Birding Area in northwestern New Jersey.  It is part of the Lenape National Wildlife Refuge Complex which we learned about at our November 12, 2025 in-person meeting.*   Wallkill’s 15,821 acres border 9 miles of the Wallkill River in Sussex County and encompass a variety of different habitats including riparian, marshes, ponds, and forested wetlands.

We will meet at the Owen’s Station Parking Lot and scan any open water in search of waterfowl and possible rarities. We will then walk part of the Liberty Loop Trail (provided it isn’t too icy) and back in search of other Wallkill specialties such as northern harrier, red-shouldered hawk, rough-legged hawk, American kestrel, eastern bluebird, white-crowned and American tree sparrows. After that, we will carpool to the Oil City Road parking area at the north end of the refuge in New York, in the hopes of seeing horned lark, which have been reported there. At sunset, with any luck, we will watch as the short-eared owls emerge at dusk.

Bring binoculars and a scope if you have one, a snack and something to drink. Dress warmly as the weather is expected to be quite cold. If it is icy, we will avoid walking as much as possible but if you have ice traction cleats and walking sticks, please bring them. There are bathrooms at the Owen’s Station Parking Lot.  

For more information, please contact mbcoutings@gmail.com. If you are available for carpooling or looking for a ride, please reach out as well.  

*Other parts of the complex are: Great Swamp NWR in Basking Ridge, NJ, Cherry Valley NWR in Stroudsburg, PA and Shawangunk NWR in Wallkill, NY.)