When I saw that Pileated Woodpecker by the Spillway last week, I was struck by just how big it is.

At between 16 to 19 inches long, it can be twice as big as a Red-bellied.

It's the closest we'll ever come to seeing an Ivory-billed Woodpecker, now extinct.

A Red-bellied is 9.4 inches tall.

A Pileated is 16 to 19 inches

An Ivory-billed was 18 to 20.

The Ivory-bill above is the one that Stiles Thomas carved for me. I just like posting pictures of it.

I regretted missing Kay Fialkoff's recent embroidered art exhibit in Fair Lawn. Here's the next best thing.

The above video features two of my favorite places  and showcases remarkable art.

Kay writes: "I've recently posted a video documentary of my 2018 art exhibition retrospective at the Pine Gallery that celebrates wetlands, Meadowlands, and woodlands including the Celery Farm, on Youtube. Would you able to post it so Fyke members can see it?"

Thanks, Kay!)

This column appeared nine years ago today... You can read a free online e-Book of "The Best of the Bird Watcher" here.

And you can download a pdf to view on an iPad or other mobile device here: Download Best of the Bird Watcher Jim Wright

By Jim Wright

Special To The Record

  They are the phantoms of the twilight, slender athletic birds the size of bluejays.

  With white chevrons on their long pointed wings, they almost resemble miniature airplanes – until they flap erratically in search of airborne insects. Then they resemble giant bats.

   They are common nighthawks, and they could be coming to a patch of sky near you any evening now. They are typically seen in North Jersey during migration – in mid-May and from mid-August to September.

   Some of these birds have already passed through on their way from South America to breeding grounds to the north, including an early bird that was spotted over the Celery Farm in Allendale last week. A year ago, a flock of 75 was seen above Lake Henry in Mahwah, and smaller flocks were reported in Clifton and Wyckoff in late summer 2008.

Photographed this caterpillar in Maryland earlier this month.

What is it, and does it mean a long winter -- or anything?

(Obligatory "coin for scale" shot below. I was out of quarters.)