2024 Smith Island Pelican Tours
If you wish to have your name added to the waitlist for the 2024 season, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with the total number in your party. Tours typically run mid-June through mid-July. We will notify you when we have our plans together. Thanks!
Pelican tour update from July 6 & 7, 2023
During our tours on July 6 & 7, we visited the two nearby colonies at marsh islands known locally as Shanks and Drum Point. At Shanks, there were still eggs in some pelican nests, but there were also chicks from one to eight weeks old. At Drum Point, the pelican chicks were around 8 to 9 weeks old.
Join us in Summer 2024 for our Smith Island Pelican Tours!
Please read everything on this web page to make certain that you understand how this trip is managed. Barring any increases from our Smith Island partners, the cost will likely be $325/person. Most of this money stays on Smith Island with our boat captains and restaurants.
The Brown Pelicans usually hatch by mid-June, and we will likely run our tours from mid-June 14 through mid-July. 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 2024 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 mid-July if there is interest. Your trip will be confirmed after we receive your payment.
Click these links for more information:
Thanks again for your interest in these tours. We look forward to visiting Smith Island and the Brown Pelicans with you in Summer 2024!