Images of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Though teeming with migratory birds in winter, many animals make their home in the slough year-round. Worms, clams and shrimp support a food web of thousands of different kinds of animals. Calm slough waters offer a protective nursery for more than 80 species of fishes. Some birds, like this great egret, nest here in spring and forage in the slough all year long.