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About The
Sanctuaries
Southampton Island's large colonies
of Lesser Snow Geese became known to wildlife biologists in the 1930's. The
sanctuaries were established in 1959 on Southampton Island in Northern Hudson
Bay to protect the breeding of Lesser Snow Geese and many other species.
The East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary (MBS) is located on the Southeast coast of
Southampton Island and Harry Gibbons MBS is located on the Southwest coast of
Southampton Island.
East Bay MBS includes marine waters and surrounding low inland areas. The sanctuary is approximately 1,165 km2 in size and is located 50 km East of Coal Harbour. Approximately 1,490 km2 in size and located 150 km West of Coral Harbour, Harry Gibbons MBS includes the delta and estuary of the Boas River, the adjacent tidal flats in the Bay of God's Mercy, and the surrounding low inland area.
The East Bay Sanctuary was established to protect goose-nesting, feeding, and brood-rearing habitat. Nesting habitat of this sanctuary consists mainly of beach ridges and shores of the bay, near the water. The flat, wet sedge meadow with ponds and small lakes provide important feeding and brood-rearing habitat for Common Eiders. After nesting, the Eiders feed along the shore of the bay. Harry Gibbons MBS was also established to protect prime goose-nesting, feeding, and brood-rearing habitat. The sanctuary consists of numerous ponds and lakes, wetlands, including sedge meadows, and tidal flats. These habitats occur in and near the delta of the Boas River. The birds nest on dry ridges or hammocks in and near these wetlands.
Approximately 50 species of birds have been identified within these two sanctuaries. Up to 95,000 pairs of Lesser Snow Geese have nested in Harry Gibbons MBS and nearby areas in the past. Up to 21,000 pairs of geese have nested in East Bay in the past. The geese arrive in late May and early June. Non-breeding geese leave mid-August while breeding geese and their young leave in late August and early September. The geese then stage in the Hudson Bay-James Bay lowlands and other locations in Manitoba, Ontario, and the American Midwest. Although the majority of these birds winter in the south-central USA near the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, some go farther into mainland Mexico. A large percentage (35-40%) of these geese are blue phase birds.
Approximately 4,000 to 6,000 pairs of Common Eiders have nested on East Bay's small island in the past. The Common Eider is a large seaduck which winters in various habitats including persistent open-water areas in the Eastern Arctic, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Atlantic provinces, and mainland of the United States of America.
Other species
which nest, moult, stage, or simply visit
these sanctuaries include the Atlantic Brant, Canada Goose, Tundra Swan, Northern
Pintail, King Eider, Oldsquaw, Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Black-bellied
Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Whimbrel, Red Knot, Sanderling, White-rumped
Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Phalarope, Parasitic Jaeger, Herring Gull,
Sabine's Gull, Arctic Tern, Black Guillemot and others.
Harry Gibbons, also known as Unaanuck, was a local resident who assisted early biologists and helped carry out goose banding and other field programs. Some of his family are still inhabit the area. In 1991, lands within East Bay and Harry Gibbons MBS were selected by the Inuit of Coral Harbour as part of the land claim negotiated between the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut and the Government of Canada.
