Right about this time of the year is when the Sooty Shearwaters begin to arrive off the coast of California — many off Santa Cruz and Monterey. They’re here to enjoy the abundant food resources of our California Current. Their arrival is really something of a miracle, representing the conclusion of another amazing round trip. When these birds leave California at the end of the summer, they head back down to New Zealand to breed. By the time they return, they’ve covered an astonishing 39,000 miles, the longest recorded distance of any migratory bird. Here is California, we’re doing our best to protect these vital food resources through our support of the Marine Life Protection Act process. Through this process, the state of California designated a series of marine reserves up and down the coast. Audubon chapters in California, working closely with Audubon California, were greatly involved in the process, speaking out for marine birds and securing a number of key foraging areas for birds such as the long-traveling Sooty Shearwater. (photo by Sooty Shearwaters off Monterey by USGS)