Arctic Wings: Miracle of Migration

Sarah Palin must not have many bird houses in the backyard of her Alaska governor’s mansion. After all, the veep nominee is all about drilling in ANWR, which, as seven contributing photographers show us in “Arctic Wings: Miracle of Migration” (through Dec. 31), is a temporary home to hundreds of thousands of birds from six continents and all 50 U.S. states. Unlike the shots seen on postcards in any old gift shop, these award-winning, book-authoring birdwatchers capture their feathered friends in dynamic poses and with pristine print quality. The untouched beauty demonstrated in these photos makes for a good argument against drilling for oil in the area, thanks to the masterful work of the shooters. One only has to imagine the Snowy Owl chicks captured by lensman Paul Bannick covered in oil in order to get arctic-cold feet on the idea. On second thought: Postcards of these shots might not be such a bad idea, as long as they’re addressed to John McCain and his “Drill, baby, drill” Straight Talk Express. Burke Museum, U.W. campus, 543-5590, www.washington.edu/burkemuseum. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. JOSHUA LYNCH
Mondays-Sundays. Starts: Oct. 1. Continues through Dec. 31, 2008