Shearwater Migration

A sunset cruise on the Chardonnay in Santa Cruz was (accidently) well timed to coincide with an amazing occurrence. Every summer millions of sooty shearwaters visit the coast of California, part of their record-holding 39,000 mile annual migration. They gorge themselves to the point of barely being able to fly. Apparently some years (because of contaminated fish) they get 'drunk', lose control and crash into buildings, cars and people. Legend has it Alfred Hitchcock witnessed this phenomenon while living in Capitola and was inspired to write the movie The Birds.