This was Bristle-thighed Curlew day! Our team left Nome around 4:15am and headed up a very quiet Kougarouk Road. The early hour afforded us many views of animals along the road, including Arctic Hares, which ran down the road in front of the car on two occassions, and our very first Rock Ptarmigan, also a road bird. We arrived at Curlew Hill around 7:30am and trekked uphill only about 3/4 of a mile before a ghostly Curlew flew by in the fog, calling distinctly and displaying. Fog prevented us from seeing any actual field marks, but the ID was solid. Only one individual was seen.

After the Curlew triumph we returned to Salmon Lake and were able to locate the Bluethroat reported from the Salmon Lake campground, as well as a very cooperative group of Wilson's Warblers. Ashok saw a Wagtail along the road at this location, but the rest of us weren't quick enough to photograph it.

Mammals: many Arctic Ground Squirrel, female Moose with very young baby wading upstream, male Moose, three Arctic Hares, one Brush Rabbit