The tour began at 7:15am in Crisfield, MD where we boarded the Elizabeth Joy II that took us to Smith Island (about 40 minutes, and of course birding along the way). Once at Smith Island we boarded three smaller boats and visited nearby islands (staying in the boats) to see nesting egrets and herons.
The weather - Clear and very hot, 81-91F, feels like as high as 104F. Winds S/SW, speed 4-13mph with gusts 4-25mph
Our birding tour guide is Jim Rapp. Jim, an excellent birder and tour guide, identified the birds along the way - Herring Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Glossy Ibis…
Select the image below to enlarge.
ID - AMOY11
ID - HERG43-Herring Gull
ID - 25-BRPE-4-Brown Pelican
Smith Island
Purple Martin Houses - Good for keeping mosquito population down.
ID - 25-BRPE2 - Brown Pelican
Great Egret
Great Egret
Osprey
ID - 25-BRPE-6
ID - 25-BRPE-8
ID - LBHE35-Little Blue Heron
ID - LBHE37
ID - LBHE38
ID - LBHE41-Little Blue Heron (immature)
ID - AMOY13-American Oyster Catcher
ID - AMOY12
At high tide we headed over to the Brown Pelican nesting colony. We pulled up to the shore in the small boats; staying in the boats we were able to observe the colony as they went about their business of feeding, bickering with each other, preening, stretching and even sometimes approaching the boat.
This was an incredible experience. The opportunity to observe these wonderful birds in the process of raising their young and interacting with each other was extraordinary.
I have included a lot of pictures here - each picture tells its own story, there is so much going on. Enjoy!
ID - 25-BRPE-10
ID - 25-BRPE-12
ID - 25-BRPE-13
ID - 25-BRPE-14
ID - 25-BRPE-15
ID - 25-BRPE-16
ID - 25-BRPE-17
ID - 25-BRPE-18
ID - 25-BRPE-19
ID - 25-BRPE-20
ID - 25-BRPE-21
ID - 25-BRPE-22
The young in this nest were only about 3-4 weeks old.
ID - 25-BRPE-24
ID - 25-BRPE-25
ID - 25-BRPE-26
ID - 25-BRPE-27
ID - 25-BRPE-28
ID - 25-BRPE-29
ID - 25-BRPE-30
ID - 25-BRPE-31
ID - 25-BRPE-33
ID - 25-BRPE-34
ID - 25-BRPE-35
ID - 25-BRPE-54
Feeding time…..
ID - 25-BRPE-37
ID - 25-BRPE-38
ID - 25-BRPE-39
ID - 25-BRPE-40
ID - 25-BRPE-41
ID - 25-BRPE-42
ID - 25-BRPE-43
ID - 25-BRPE-44
ID - 25-BRPE-45
ID - 25-BRPE-46
ID - 25-BRPE-47
ID - 25-BRPE-48
ID - 25-BRPE-49
ID - 25-BRPE-51
ID - 25-BRPE-52
ID - 25-BRPE-53
Brown Pelican chicks develop a distinctive heart shaped pattern on their backs as their feathers start to come in.
ID - 25-BRPE-55
ID - 25-BRPE-56
ID - 25-BRPE-57
ID - 25-BRPE-58
ID - 25-BRPE-59
ID - 25-BRPE-60
ID - 25-BRPE-78
ID - 25-BRPE-79
ID - 25-BRPE-116
These three siblings were bickering at times during our visit.
ID - 25-BRPE-61
ID - 25-BRPE-62
ID - 25-BRPE-63
ID - 25-BRPE-65
ID - 25-BRPE-66
ID - 25-BRPE-67
ID - 25-BRPE-68
ID - 25-BRPE-69
ID - 25-BRPE-70
ID - 25-BRPE-71
ID - 25-BRPE-72
ID - 25-BRPE-73
ID - 25-BRPE-74
ID - 25-BRPE-75
ID - 25-BRPE-76
ID - 25-BRPE-77
ID - 25-BRPE-80
ID - 25-BRPE-81
ID - 25-BRPE-82
ID - 25-BRPE-83
ID - 25-BRPE-84
ID - 25-BRPE-85
ID - 25-BRPE-86
ID - 25-BRPE-87
ID - 25-BRPE-88
ID - 25-BRPE-89
ID - 25-BRPE-90
ID - 25-BRPE-91
ID - 25-BRPE-92
ID - 25-BRPE-93
ID - 25-BRPE-94
ID - 25-BRPE-95
ID - 25-BRPE-96
ID - 25-BRPE-97
ID - 25-BRPE-98
ID - 25-BRPE-105
ID - 25-BRPE-99
ID - 25-BRPE-100
ID - 25-BRPE-101
ID - 25-BRPE-102
ID - 25-BRPE-103
ID - 25-BRPE-104
ID - 25-BRPE-106
ID - 25-BRPE-107
ID - 25-BRPE-108
ID - 25-BRPE-109
ID - 25-BRPE-110
ID - 25-BRPE-111
ID - 25-BRPE-112
The sights & sounds
After our visit to the pelican colony we went to Tylerton, Smith Island for lunch at the world famous Drum Point Market. I choose the famous crab cake and Smith Island cake for my lunch (included in the tour).
After lunch we boarded Elizabeth Joy II and headed for Ewell to visit the Smith Island Cultural Museum.
Of course we birded along the way.
After visiting the museum some of us walked to a nearby observation deck to continue our birding. We were fortunate to see a family of Clapper Rails and Seaside Sparrows. We then boarded the Elizabeth Joy II at 3:00pm to head back to Crisfield’s. What a wonderful day and exceptional experience!! I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour - I highly recommend the real thing!
The bird species list for the day (select the list to enlarge).