The purpose of our work at East Bay Island is to continue to investigate potential threats to breeding seabirds in Hudson Strait, including the impacts of increasing polar bear predation, industrial development, emerging disease and harvest.
The island camp consists of 5-12 individuals, housed in 2 sleeping cabins and 3 canvas tents for storage and kitchen facilities. There is also a lab cabin on the island to house a freezer and scientific equipment. Crew activities including trapping and banding of eiders and snow buntings (May/June), blind-based plot monitoring and band reading (all season), and chick banding (July/August). The camp is only in use from late May to early August each year.
In May and June, a snowmachine and Komatik are used to move around on the nearby sea ice, and transport in and out of the camp is provided by chartered helicopter or Twin Otter.
Twin otters land at the East Bay Mainland Shorebird research campthat is 5km away from our camp.