Smith Island Pelican Tours

Photo taken June 15, 2022, courtesy of Mark Garland.

The cost for this tour is $325/person, an increase from 2021 primarily due to rising fuel costs. Please email dmvbirds@gmail.com to add your name to the wait list if you are interested in a Smith Island Pelican Tour in August. We may run more tours in August if there is interest and if we can arrange the boats.

Friday, July 22, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm – please arrive at 7:30 am
HIGH TIDE for Ewell, MD: 8:54 am

This tour is sold out.

Tour Details

The all-day Brown Pelican Colony Tours cost $325/per person, which includes:

  • all-day private transportation aboard the Barbara Ann II, guests can leave personal items on boat
  • small group skiff tours to view the Brown Pelican nesting colony, timed with the high tide.
  • PLEASE NOTE: the pelican colonies move around the Chesapeake Bay year-to-year. We will work with our skiff captains to deliver you safely to the colonies nearest Smith Island. Distance from skiff to birds may vary depending upon colony location. Obviously, the young pelicans will change appearance as they grow, so young birds will look different each time we visit.
  • lunch at the world-famous Drum Point Market, includes crab cake sandwich, sides, drink, and slice of Smith Island cake
  • admission to the Smith Island Cultural Center
  • all-day professional bird guide

Read more about the experience below. Before you purchase your trip, please note the following:

  • Trips are subject to weather cancellations. If we must cancel an event due to dangerous conditions, we will notify participants via email as soon as possible, and refunds will be issued within 15 days.
  • We do not cancel trips for cold/hot temps or rain, and we strongly encourage our guests to dress and prepare for all weather.
  • Please review our Waiver and Release of Liability. We require all registrants to complete the waiver and bring a signed copy with them.

Helpful Links:

  • Click here for Smith Island Tours: Directions, Policies & Tips.
  • Click here for Smith Island Tours: News & Recognition to learn more about these tours and watch videos about the experience.
  • Click here for Smith Island Tours: On Your Own if you choose to arrange your own trip.
  • Click here for Somerset County Tourism.
  • Click here for Beaches, Bays & Waterways, the Beach to Bay Heritage Area.

Wildlife Photography Disclaimer

ATTENTION PHOTOGRAPHERS: Please be aware that our Smith Island Pelican Tours are primarily bird watching experiences. We welcome and value photographers on all of our bird watching trips, but our field trips are not photography workshops. Please read our disclaimer before purchasing your ticket — we want you to have a great experience!

Sample Itinerary

Please note: Departure from Crisfield for all trips is 8:00 am. Once we arrive at Smith Island, we time our small boat tours with the high tide so that we can access the pelican colonies. The colonies are located on small marsh islands surrounded by very shallow water. Some of our small boat tours on Smith Island will depart in the morning and some will depart in the afternoon.

  • 7:30 am: arrive in Crisfield, park vehicles at Somers Cove Marina, meet on Pier N to load the Barbara Ann II
  • 7:45 am: load boat
  • 8:00 am: depart Crisfield for Smith Island and boat tour along Glenn L. Martin National Wildlife Refuge near village of Ewell
  • 8:45 am: arrive in village of Tylerton
  • 9:00 am: load skiffs for tours of Brown Pelican nesting colony (all viewing and photography done from boat; we will not be walking through or disturbing the colony)
  • 10:30 am: return to Tylerton for walking tour
  • 11:30 am: lunch at Drum Point Market
  • 12:30 pm: depart Tylerton for the village of Ewell
  • 1:00 pm: arrive in Ewell for a visit to the Smith Island Cultural Center and birding along the road between the villages of Ewell and Rhodes Point
  • 3:00 pm: board the Barbara Ann II for return trip to Crisfield
  • 3:45 pm: arrive in Crisfield, depart for home

Brown Pelicans in the Chesapeake Bay

Brown Pelican populations plummeted in the 1940s primarily due to the use of the pesticide DDT. The poison was ingested by pelicans eating contaminated fish, which caused the birds to lay eggs with shells so thin they broke during incubation. The Brown Pelican was listed as an endangered species in 1970, and DDT was banned in the United States in 1972. Following these protective measures, the Brown Pelican population began to recover and move further north. Pelicans started nesting in Maryland’s coastal bays in 1987. Today, hundreds of Brown Pelicans nest between Smith Island and Holland Island in the Chesapeake Bay, the furthest north these birds currently nest and raise young on the East Coast.

Brown Pelicans migrate to the Chesapeake in April to nest. After laying 2 – 4 eggs, the parents incubate them with the skin of their feet, essentially standing on the eggs for up to 35 days. Babies are naked and blind at hatching, and are completely dependent on their parents to feed them fish. The young develop soft, silky down as they grow, followed by feathers. Average age at first flight is 75 days.

Read more here from Chesapeake Bay magazine.