Smith Island Pelican Tours (Click for Details*) - Delmarva Birding Weekends

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A minimum of 12 participants are needed to run each tour with a maximum of 18. Registration at Delmarva Birding Weekends opens when the 12 person minimum is reached. If you wish to add your name to a tour that has not yet met the 12-person minimum, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with details.

More information and dates open for registration can be found here: https://delmarvabirding.com/smith-island-pelican-tours/ 

Tours begin and end in Crisfield, MD. Each tour includes an all-day large boat charter, ~two-hour small boat charters at high tide to view nesting pelicans near the village of Ewell and nesting herons and egrets at the Glenn L. Martin National Wildlife Refuge just north of Ewell, lunch at the Drum Point Market and Eatery in the village of Tylerton, a guide, and a visit to the Smith Island Cultural Center.

Each year, the Brown Pelicans arrive in April and May and choose the locations for their nesting colonies. In 2024, they did not settle on locations that had been previously used in 2023 and years prior. In 2024 and 2025, the pelican nesting colonies were established near the village of Ewell, a location that they had never used before.

After the birds have settled and nesting begins, the pelican chicks usually begin to hatch by mid-June. Please note that all eggs do not hatch on the same day. When we visit the nesting colonies, we may discover some nests with eggs and some nests with chicks 3 to 4 weeks old. We typically run our tours from late June through late July. There is always the chance that the nests may be wiped out due to a spring or summer storm and the associated high tides. If this happens early enough during nesting season, the pelicans should re-nest.

The charter will depart from Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield, MD for the ride out to Smith Island.

More information and registration is available at Delmarva Birding Weekends: https://delmarvabirding.com/smith-island-pelican-tours/

Photo credit: Vincent Dimick