2023 Smith Island Pelican Tours – Payment
Pelican tour update from June 14 and June 22!
During our first tours of the season on Wednesday, June 14, and Thursday, June 22, we visited two nearby colonies at marsh islands known locally as Shanks and Drum Point. At Shanks, there were still eggs in the pelican nests on June 22. At Drum Point, the pelican chicks were around 4 to 5 weeks old on June 22. Barring any severe weather events or other natural disturbances, we should be able to view young pelicans through mid- to late-July.
Our June 28-29-30 tours are sold out. We have limited openings on July 6 and July 7. If the July 6 and July 7 tours fill up, we may offer tours on Tuesday, July 11 and Wednesday, July 12. Scroll down for more information.
Join us this summer for our Smith Island Pelican Tours!
Please read everything on this web page to make certain that you understand how this trip is managed. The cost is $325/person. Most of this money stays on Smith Island with our boat captains and restaurants. Scroll down for our tour dates and secure online registration.
The Brown Pelicans have hatched, and we will run our tours from June 14 through July 7. There is always the chance of a summer storm causing problems for the pelican colonies, but hopefully the birds will have a peaceful summer nesting season.
Our charter for the season will be the Capt. Jason II, one of the Smith Island ferries. The ferry will be captained by Larry Laird. Jr., and our friend Barry Chew will join us as First Mate. Our charter will depart from Crisfield, MD for the ride out to Smith Island. Once we arrive, we will spend some time birding and exploring the villages of Ewell and Tylerton, and we will enjoy lunch at Drum Point Market. We time our visit to the nesting colonies around high tide, as the small boats we charter to visit the pelicans need a few feet of water to operate. On dates with an early high tide, we will visit the pelicans first. When the high tide is in the afternoon, we will visit the pelicans later in the day. Our small boat charter captains will be Eddie Corbin, Wes Bradshaw and Mark Kitching.
Please note that tours are subject to cancellations, and full refunds will be provided if we cancel a tour due to dangerous weather or if our charter is unable to run. We will run the tour if it rains, so please dress for the weather. Please also note that we can’t accurately predict what age the pelican chicks will be when we visit.
We will do our best to give you the date you select, but if a trip fills, we may need to add you to another tour. We may run additional tours after July 7 if there is interest. Your trip will be confirmed after we receive your payment.
Click these links for more information:
The dates below have a minimum of 12 participants. Many trips are sold out. You can register for open trips using the secure PayPal links:
Thurs., July 6, 10 am – 6 pm (high tide 4:06 PM)
The July 6 trip is sold out. If you wish to be placed on the wait list for this trip, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com.
Fri., July 7, 11 am – 7 pm (high tide 5:04 PM)
We have one spot open on the July 7 trip:
Tues., July 11, 8 am – 4 pm (high tide 8:24 AM)
We can only run the Tues., July 11 trip with a minimum of 12 participants. If you want to add your name to the wait list, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with the number of participants in your party. If we reach our minimum of 12 participants, we’ll send payment information.
Wed., July 12, 8 am – 4 pm (high tide 9:25 AM)
We can only run the Wed., July 12 trip with a minimum of 12 participants. If you want to add your name to the wait list, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with the number of participants in your party. If we reach our minimum of 12 participants, we’ll send payment information.
Thanks again for your interest in these tours. We look forward to visiting Smith Island and the Brown Pelicans this summer!