Today's featured photographer is Dave Rotondi.

Dave writes:

I'm originally from Hoboken.  I moved to Lyndhurst in 1998 and then Rutherford in 2000. 

It wasn't until 2009 that I stumbled upon DeKorte Park by accident one night when I decided to take a drive down the road past Medieval Times. I wound my way down Valley Brook Ave.  to the entrance of a then-closed DeKorte. 

The next morning, I drove back and and walked all of the trails, and within 2 hours, I was hooked.  I always noticed the birds around my neighborhood, but in growing up in Hoboken yielded only the usual suspects of city life: pigeons, sparrows, robins, and the occasional cardinal or hawk. 

In my first 2 hours in DeKorte, I must have seen 30 different species of birds– you couldn't keep me away after that.

More of Dave's commentary, and two more photos  — of a Cedar Waxwing and a White-throated Sparrow — follow. (Thanks, Dave!)

What most amazed me most was the abundance and variety of birds right in our back yard, and only 10+ miles away from the city.  It still strikes me that you can look up and see an amazing bird of prey like a Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Harrier, etc. then look down again and see the NYC skyline in the distance. 

 I love taking photos in the Meadowlands, but in DeKorte particularly because even if you don't get to check off a species from your life list, you always have a chance at a great sunrise, sunset or still water shot that highlights the beauty of the park.

I'm not a professional, I don't have a website, I'm just a regular guy who steps out of everyday life into a plentiful and diverse world of nature, right in my own back yard every chance he gets….

…and I NEVER forget the camera!