The old house at 790 Ewing Avenue has looked out over the same woods since parts of it went up in the late 1700s. This fall it has something new: a raised observation deck. A New Jersey Audubon naturalist now climbs its stairs on Friday mornings to scan the sky over Franklin Lakes. The timing has a story behind it. Lucine L. Lorrimer left the property to New Jersey Audubon in 1956, so 2026 is the sanctuary's 70th year. In July, NJ Audubon announced that the final stages of a year-and-a-half restoration were done.
That makes this the deck's first fall migration. It also means the deck opened partway through the season. The birds that fill the sky over northern New Jersey in late October and November are different from the ones in early fall, and the season's last three Hawkwatch Fridays fall in that later window.
A deck built for a migration that is already changing shape
NJ Audubon's listing for the Franklin Lakes Hawkwatch promises "spectacular views of Broad-winged Hawk kettles as they fly over the sanctuary, Bald Eagles, and other raptors." Kettles are big, spiraling flocks of broad-winged hawks riding warm air upward, and they are the most famous sight of a September hawk watch.
They are also mostly over by now. NJ Audubon's overview of the Montclair Hawkwatch, the closest regular count site its reports cover, says the broad-winged flight there is over by mid-October. October improves the odds of seeing merlins or peregrine falcons, and red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks are most numerous by the end of the month. The site's October 2025 report recorded Cooper's hawks, turkey vultures, black vultures, peregrine falcons and a golden eagle that month.
November brings the heavier birds. The Montclair November 2025 report says red-shouldered and red-tailed hawks made up most of the flight and vultures kept moving. Counters also hoped for northern rarities like golden eagles, rough-legged hawks and American goshawks. On November 15, 2025, they logged 229 red-shouldered hawks in one day. On November 6, 2025, they recorded a golden eagle.
Montclair is a different ridge with its own counters, and last year's numbers don't predict this year's sky over Ewing Avenue. They do show what late-season traffic looks like in this part of the state. November 6 is the date of Lorrimer's final 2026 Hawkwatch.
The deck dates left on the calendar
Two free programs use the deck between now and winter. The Hawkwatch runs 11 to 11:30 a.m. on Fridays through November 6. It is free, donations are welcome, and a session is canceled for rain, snow or weather warnings. Coffee and Birds runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on one Sunday a month. It features a different coffee or cocoa each month, and you can bring your own mug.
| Date | Program on the deck | What the season points to |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 23 | Hawkwatch, 11 a.m. | Red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks taking over from broad-wings |
| Friday, Oct. 30 | Hawkwatch, 11 a.m. | Same shift, with merlins and peregrines possible |
| Friday, Nov. 6 | Final Hawkwatch, 11 a.m. | Red-shouldered and red-tailed hawks leading, with vultures still moving |
| Sunday, Nov. 8 | Coffee and Birds, 10 a.m. | Two days after the last Hawkwatch |
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | Coffee and Birds, 10 a.m. | The deck's first winter morning program |
Programs are booked through Eventbrite, and NJ Audubon says it can cancel any program that doesn't get enough sign-ups. A free half hour on a weekday morning is easy to miss, and the Hawkwatch registration page is the simplest way to confirm a session is going ahead.
Lorrimer staff also run one bird walk off the property this month. The Halloween Bird Walk is Saturday, October 31, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Celery Farm in Allendale. It is free, open to all skill levels, and costumes are encouraged.
After the hawks, the renovated house takes the evening shift
The deck gets the attention, but the restoration also gave the house a bigger indoor and after-dark role. NJ Audubon describes the main house as both visitor center and sanctuary office. The 2025 renovation added a "reimagined nature store," and proceeds from the store go back to the sanctuary. The program list from now through November reads less like a nature center winding down for the year and more like a small community venue:
- Wednesday, Oct. 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Spooky Family Night Hike looks for nocturnal creatures and ends with a bonfire. S'mores kits are for sale, costumes are encouraged, and it's aimed at families with children 4 and up. It runs in partnership with Rockland Electric.
- Thursday, Nov. 5, 6:30 p.m. At the Antique Phonograph Showcase, Phonograph DJ MAC plays original 78 rpm and cylinder recordings of early bird imitators and artistic whistlers on restored crank-up machines.
- Friday, Nov. 6, 5 to 9 p.m. The Nature Center PJ Party is a drop-off parents' night out for ages 4 to 12, with a sunset hike, animal encounters, pizza, s'mores and a nature movie.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Roosting is a guided evening sound bath with gongs, bowls and chimes. Bring a mat or cushion.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Natural Dyes for Beginners uses foraged black walnuts, pokeberries, goldenrod and avocado pits, and you take home a hand-dyed textile.
- Wednesday, Nov. 18, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Shannon Mayernik of Mayernik Kitchen leads a herbalism workshop on immune-supporting herbs for the winter months.
- Sunday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lorrimer's first Holiday Art & Makers Market features local artists selling handmade, nature-based artwork and gifts.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving is the newest date on that list, and the one most likely to bring in neighbors who have never walked the trails. Families with younger kids also have the Fall Break Fun day programs on November 5 and 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grades K through 3 stay on site. Grades 3 through 6 go fishing at the G. Thomas Donch Nature Preserve.
The deck is finished, but the project isn't
The July announcement called the restoration complete. NJ Audubon's plans describe a second stage. Its 2025 annual report calls remodeling the existing building phase one. Phase two, a classroom addition and major site work, was planned for 2026.
Money has been building toward that second stage for a while. In June 2023, NJ Audubon announced a $1 million gift from the Winifred M. and George P. Pitkin Foundation toward a renovation then estimated at $3 million. In a June 2026 post, NJ Audubon said an anonymous donor had pledged another $250,000 and challenged others to match it. That brought the donor's total to $1.25 million for a renovation and expansion that would double the center's classroom space. The post described those funds as critical to finishing the expansion. The new classroom will be named for Tom Gilmore, who worked out of an office at Lorrimer and lived on the property with his family during his years with the organization.
So this year's crowded fall calendar is running in a house that hasn't added its new classroom yet. Doubling classroom space would give the programs above twice the room.
Before you go
- Address: 790 Ewing Avenue, Franklin Lakes. The center's phone is 908-481-4090.
- Trails: open daily, dawn to dusk. The December 2025 trail map lists the Woodland Trail at 0.8 mile, the Wetland Trail at 0.25 mile, and the Butterfly Trail and Lucy's Trail at 0.15 mile each.
- Nature Center and Gift Shop: open Wednesday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
- The deck: stairs lead up to the observation deck. The trail map marks accessible parking, an accessible trail and an accessible building. If step-free access matters to you, call the center before you go.
The Wednesday evening store hours line up with the October 28 night hike and the November 18 herbalism workshop, so you can stop by the shop before either one.
Joe Simone has worked in North Jersey towns like Franklin Lakes for more than 30 years. He knows that for many owners near Ewing Avenue, places like Lorrimer are part of what makes the address feel like home. If you're wondering what your home is worth this fall, Joseph Simone can help: Request a Free Home Valuation & Local Market Consultation.
