Hey! Here's a cool story: Winnie the Whimbrel flew to the ANWR...
"In May, scientists equipped a whimbrel — a large North American shorebird — from Virginia's Eastern Shore with a tiny satellite transmitter. When the bird lifted off from its marsh resting site, researchers hoped its flight would answer lingering questions about the whimbrel’s migration. But this whimbrel, nicknamed Winnie, didn't read the flight plan. Instead of heading for breeding grounds at Hudson Bay in central Canada, as expected, Winnie flew nonstop to Alaska."
Link: Full article from The Nature Conservancy
While we're on the subject...here's something to keep in mind next time you hear our politicians talking about how "efficient and clean" we are at exploring and drilling for oil in the context of the ANWR:
1995 to 2005
Graph source/credit: Division of Spill Prevention and Response