Experience the beauty of Purple Martins in their natural habitat while cruising through serene waters to Bomb Island. This tour offers a unique opportunity to connect with nature and enjoy an unforgettable birdwatching experience.

Bomb Island is the largest Purple Martin roosting site in North America and provides the perfect place for the birds to rest and prepare for their journey back to South America for the winter. Millions of these birds take flight during this natural phenomenon.

Angela (The Berd Nird) has been on this tour many times sailing with her good friend Captain Zach. Captain Zach owns a boat and this will be his eighth season of offering Purple Martin Cruises!

Lexington, South Carolina. We'll be meeting at Jake's Landing Marina (220 Jakes Landing Rd, Lexington, SC 29072).

August 5, 2025.

We will be leaving the dock at Jake's Landing Marina (220 Jakes Landing Rd, Lexington, SC 29072)  promptly at 7pm and will return around 9pm. Please arrive 30 minutes prior to departure. 

Angela has reserved the entire boat, so it'll only be Captain Zach, Angela, and 5 other Flockers. (FLOCK YEAH!) Normally, tickets sell out super fast, but Captain Zach allowed Angela to buy the tickets early so that she could reserve an entire boat for us Flockers.

You'll be in charge of covering getting to and from the marina (flights, stay, food, etc.) on top of parking at the marina itself. There is a $3 parking fee when you park at the marina that can be paid inside the boathouse (little blue building). There is a $5 credit card minimum at Jake's so it's best to bring cash for this. We'll be setting up a group chat with everyone going to coordinate carpooling options!

We recommend flying into the Columbia, SC Airport (Columbia Metropolitan Airport, CAE)

Here are some hotel options close by:

Holiday Inn Express and Suites

325 W Main St, Lexington, SC 29072

Best Western Plus

601 Columbia Ave, Lexington, SC 29072

We will be leaving the dock at Jake's Landing Marina (220 Jakes Landing Rd, Lexington SC 29072)  promptly at 7pm and will return around 9pm. We always recommend you arrive 30 minutes prior to departure. Attached is a map of Jake's Landing in reference to exit 110 on I-26.

Captain Zach will be inside to greet us upon arrival. Please note that there are no bathrooms on board, but they are available at the marina before we leave. Upon our return, the boathouse at Jake's will be closed, but the Shell station at the top of the road will have restrooms available. There will be free water on board available for your refreshment. Guests are encouraged to bring snacks & beverages of their choosing.

In the unlikely event of inclement weather, we may cancel the trip 30 minutes prior to departure and will let everyone know. If a trip is cancelled prior to leaving the dock, we will try to reschedule the trip for a later date.

August is pretty hot in South Carolina, so you won't need to bring winter clothing. A light jacket will do. Side note, you can bring alcohol on the boat (PARTY); however, keep in mind that you will have to drive home that night and we don't want the boat getting too rowdy and ruining the experience so let's all commit to drinking responsibly.

Since the tour ends at 9pm, we'll plan to head home/back to our hotels that night. However, we invite everyone to join Angela the next morning at 9am at Saluda Shoals Park for some birding. The park does cost $5/per vehicle to enter. We'll be meeting at the west entrance: 5605 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC  29212.

We'll be announcing the 4 winners in The Flock Community on Wednesday, May 13th. We'll take everyone who fills out the form and who can for sure come and raffle off the tickets to 4 random winners.

Message Alayna immediately via The Flock Community or at [email protected], and we'll reraffle off your ticket to someone else.