Brown pelicans aren't native to Maryland, so I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the massive flocks of pelicans on the wetlands on Smith Island. Yes, there were the usual gulls and cormorants that I see all the time, but all these pelicans! Just blew my mind. Apparently they've selected Smith Island, in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, as a safe nesting ground and nursery for their chicks. Shortly they will move south again, to their normal range. In the meantime...wow!