Our Votes For Best Halloween Costumes on Sanibel

We love holidays of all kinds on Sanibel Island. And one of our favorites is Halloween.


Oh, yes, we do have children dressing up for the occasion and that is always cute to see.


But as enjoyable is the contest we hold in the office to nominate the best "costume" on the non human residents of the Island.


For example, the Armadillo with his long, skinny snout and coat of armor is always nominated, but this year we are sticking to the birds. Our nominations run the gamut, like in any good competition, where a bird can win for color, humor, originality and the fear factor.


These are the birds that won the contest this year.


For color, there was no better contender than the Painted Bunting. Yes, the Roseate Spoonbill is larger and easier to spot, but the little Painted Bunting is an artist's canvas in flight. With bright blue, green, and red plumage, the breeding male Painted Bunting is one of the continent's most gaudily colorful birds. The species breeds in two different populations, one in the south-central United States, and one along the seaboard of the southeastern states. Somewhat rare on the Island in October, the Painted Bunting is easily seen in winter and spring.


For humor, again there were several good options, but ultimately our vote went to the Anhinga . Because of its unusual appearance and behavior, the Anhinga is also called the snake bird (because of its long slender neck and small head which appears like a snake out of the water) and water turkey (because it flies for long distances without flapping its wings, much like a turkey vulture). Due to their feathers being wet-able, anhingas cannot fly away after swimming. Instead, they must climb out of the water, using beak and feet, and dry out before taking to the wing. Its distinctive action of "drying out" its wings after a swim/fish hunt marks the Anhinga on the Sanibel landscape.


For originality, the Wood Stork won hands down. A large, white, bald-headed wading bird of the southeastern swamps, the Wood Stork is the only stork breeding in the United States. Its late winter breeding season is timed to the Florida dry season when its fish prey become concentrated in shrinking pools. Wood storks nest in the mangroves and wetlands. They eat mostly fish, but sometimes dine on shrimp and crabs, snakes, and even small alligators. They are listed as endangered, and the Sanibel refuge is considered a core foraging area.


The bird that strikes greatest fear in our hearts is the Great Horned Owl. The Great Horned Owl whose piercing eyes and "horns" can not only send chills up our spines, but up the spines of many other living creatures. They hunt normally at dawn and dusk. Renowned for ferocity, Great Horned Owls kill and eat small to medium mammals of many kinds, especially hares and rabbits. They eat mice, rats, squirrels, opossums, woodchucks, bats, weasels, and the occasional domestic cat. Great-Horned Owls also eat skunks, which are sometimes such a prominent part of the diet that both bird and nest may smell of musk.


We would love to know what your nominations would be for the best costumes on non human residents of Sanibel Island!