Just a couple dozen miles off the Northwest coast, immense dark birds with long, saber-shaped wings glide without effort above the waves.
These graceful giants are Black-footed Albatrosses, flying by the thousands near the edge of the continental shelf.
Black-footed Albatrosses do not breed until they are at least five years old, and after the young leave their breeding colony, they spend their first three years at sea.
Learn more about these fascinating birds here.