July 30: Assateague Pelican Sunset Cruise – Delmarva Birding Weekends

*Tricolored Heron, Brown Pelican and American Oystercatcher. Photos courtesy of Frode Jacobsen.*

BOAT: Assateague Pelican Sunset Cruise, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
COST: $50/person
MEETING LOCATION: Talbot Street Pier in Ocean City, MD (parking is available at 205 Talbot Street, right behind the Bank of Willards)

This is an extended version of our popular Shorebird Explorer trip. This 3-hour cruise will saunter its way south to the untouched hinterlands beyond the Verrazano Bridge to Assateague. After passing nesting Ospreys and the bird-laden sand flats behind the National Seashore, we’ll arrive at Mark 12 — a restored island loaded with nesting Brown Pelicans and other wading birds, including Tricolored Herons.

As the sun’s descent to the horizon delivers a pink evening hue, we’ll lounge our way back north to the Talbot Street dock. In addition to pelicans, usual suspects on this jaunt include Black Skimmer, Black-Crowned Night-Herons, Royal Tern, Piping Plover, and American Oystercatcher. And don’t forget the Assateague horses!

You won’t have to worry about July parking either. Our chartered boat, The Assateague Explorer, provides parking at 205 Talbot Street (right behind the Bank of Willards) where attendants will be on hand to ensure the lot doesn’t fill. You will also have permission to bring a small personal cooler with an adult beverage along for the ride.

Please bring a smile and $5- $10 tip for the First Mate. Please try to arrive by 5:00 p.m. to park and walk to the boat. Guests are invited to bring a small personal cooler with snacks and drinks (beer and wine are permitted). There is a working head (toilet) on the boat.

This is our first ever Explorer trip to the pelican island, so be part of history and join us for a great time!

Check out this video from WBOC TV16’s Outdoors Delmarva. Please note that the video is from June 2019, long before COVID-19 guidelines were put in place.