At 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, the gate opens at 7 a.m. and closes at dusk. By mid-November, dusk comes early enough to shorten a weekday walk. Even so, the Meadowlands trails just off Valley Brook Avenue have their fullest calendar of the year between now and mid-January. Bergen County Audubon Society and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, the agency that runs the Meadowlands parks, list guided walks almost every week. The birds change in a clear order: hawks and harriers in November, ducks at the end of the month, then eagles in January.
None of it costs anything. NJSEA's nature walk page says all programs are free of charge, and Bergen County Audubon's field trip page says no advance registration or prior birding experience is needed. Field trips can run up to two hours.
What the trails showed this fall
The NJSEA Meadowlands Nature Blog posts photo sets from the local trails, and its fall 2026 posts give a good idea of what's out there now. A September post from DeKorte showed Osprey, Green Heron, Great Blue Heron and Snowy Egret. An October feature from a DeKorte photographer added Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel, Forster's Tern and a Red Fox.
A few miles south, a two-part October visit to Mill Creek Marsh turned up Yellow-rumped Warbler, Killdeer, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Greater Yellowlegs, and Green-winged Teal swimming with Mallards. The second set added a Merlin, Song Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow.
NJSEA describes DeKorte as sitting on the Atlantic Flyway, with more than 285 bird species recorded across the Meadowlands.
Interest is high too. The Meadowlands Birding Festival in October 2026 drew about 300 visitors, according to the Meadowlands Nature Blog's recap.
Mid-November belongs to the raptors
The next two weeks of the guided schedule are mostly about birds of prey. Two walks stand out for anyone living near the Lyndhurst and North Arlington end of the district.
Harrier Meadow, Sunday, Nov. 15, 10 a.m. to noon. NJSEA calls this a special walk because Harrier Meadow is usually closed to the public. It's off Disposal Road in North Arlington, and as the name suggests, Bergen County Audubon's guides will be looking for the Northern Harrier along with other raptors. Walks into places that are normally closed don't come up often, so this one is worth putting on the calendar.
Laurel Hill County Park, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 10 a.m. to noon. NJSEA's listing says eagles, kestrels and other raptors are likely. Meet in the ballfield parking lot at 36 Laurel Hill Road, Secaucus.
Late November turns to ducks at Mill Creek Marsh
By the end of the month, the focus moves to the water. NJSEA says November is a great time to see Green-winged Teal and other ducks at Mill Creek Marsh. The October photo posts suggest the teal have already arrived.
The Bergen County Audubon walk there is Sunday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at the trail entrance off the back parking lot of Bob's Discount Furniture, 3 Mill Creek Drive, Secaucus.
Mill Creek works differently from DeKorte, and the tide matters. According to NJSEA's parks and trails page, the marsh has a one-mile trail through a 209-acre natural area. What you see, and how much mudflat is showing, changes with the tide. The habitat supports dabbling ducks, shorebirds, wading birds and wintering wildlife, and the old cedar stumps in the marsh give egrets and shorebirds a place to perch. If you go on your own, check the tide table before you leave.
December brings the walks back to DeKorte
Once the ducks have settled in, the schedule returns to Lyndhurst. DeKorte walks meet in the Meadowlands Environment Center parking lot at 2 DeKorte Park Plaza. The center itself is an environmental education facility that NJSEA runs with Ramapo College.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m.: BCAS 85th Anniversary Walk at Richard DeKorte Park. This is the chapter marking its own milestone on home ground.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9: A free virtual Bergen County Audubon program with Darrin Lunde, for an evening when it's too dark to walk.
- Wednesday, Dec. 16, 10 a.m.: A midweek DeKorte walk.
- Saturday, Dec. 19, all day, rain or shine: The 78th Annual Hackensack/Ridgewood Christmas Bird Count, which includes the Meadowlands district among its count areas. The listing says volunteers are needed.
A recent Bergen County Audubon notice for a DeKorte walk said its guides would be looking for waterfowl, raptors and sparrows. In the cold months, that combination is what makes DeKorte one of the more rewarding parks in the area.
January is eagle season, and DeKorte hosts the big day
Everything above leads up to the Meadowlands Eagle Festival on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Richard DeKorte Park. Bergen County Audubon's Fall/Winter newsletter lists walks, talks, children's activities, music and partner information tables.
Last year's festival, held Jan. 11, 2026, was co-presented by NJSEA and Bergen County Audubon Society. The 2026 announcement also listed live raptors and a photography workshop along with the eagle-watch walks.
The eagles are real, and nearby. In the January 2026 Bergen Audubon Bald Eagle count, 26 eagles were wintering at Overpeck County Park alone, according to an April 2026 post by Don Torino on the Meadowlands Nature Blog. Twenty-six birds at a single park in Leonia gives some idea of what a January morning can hold along the Hackensack River.
The festival opens a full week of eagle events:
- Wednesday, Jan. 13, 10 a.m.: Eagle Watch at River Barge Park, Carlstadt, a short drive up the river from Lyndhurst. That evening at 7:30, Bergen County Audubon's free virtual program features Larissa Smith on eagles.
- Saturday, Jan. 16, time to be announced: The Annual Eagle Count at several locations. Volunteers are needed.
- Sunday, Jan. 17, 1 to 4 p.m.: Save the Eagle's Day, meeting at the end of Bell Drive in Ridgefield.
Before you go: trails and rules
DeKorte is several trails in one park, and the rules differ from trail to trail. Here's how they stand on NJSEA's pages as of early November 2026.
| Trail or area | Dogs on leash | Current note |
|---|---|---|
| Marsh Discovery Trail | Not permitted | NJSEA announced a July 3, 2026 reopening after several months of improvements |
| Lyndhurst Nature Reserve | Permitted | 3.5-acre restored site with a trail, observation areas and native plants |
| Transco Trail | Permitted | |
| Kingsland Overlook | Permitted | |
| Saw Mill Creek Trail | Permitted | NJSEA lists part of the trail as closed after storm damage, with a chain-link fence marking the end |
NJSEA lists DeKorte as closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, so plan holiday walks for other days.
A few more rules from NJSEA's park information page are good to know before your first winter visit. Dogs must be leashed at all times. Picnicking isn't allowed, and that includes blankets, chairs and coolers. Parking is prohibited outside the park gate and along Valley Brook Avenue, and the page warns that the Lyndhurst Police will issue summonses. If you get locked in after dusk, the page says to call the Lyndhurst Police at 201-939-2900. With the gate closing so early this time of year, it's worth checking that number again before a late-afternoon walk. NJSEA also points visitors to a hydration station near the Environment Center entrance.
Questions about any walk go to Don Torino of Bergen County Audubon at 201-230-4983. Both the NJSEA and Audubon schedules list him as the contact.
Living a few minutes from a stretch of the Atlantic Flyway is part of what makes Lyndhurst and its neighbors in southern Bergen County a good place to call home. If you'd like to talk about this part of the Meadowlands, whether you're settling in nearby or thinking about a next move, Billy Pena and TeamPENA are happy to talk in English, Spanish or Portuguese. Let's Connect.
