Marine birds breeding in Penny Strait and Queens Channel, Nunavut, Canada

Abstract

Surveys of breeding birds on small islands in Penny Strait and Queens Channel, Nunavut Territory, Canada, were conducted in July 2002 and 2003. Approximately 3600 marine birds were observed, with the most common species being Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea, N=2400) and common eiders (Somateria mollissima borealis, N=620). We observed no Ross's gulls (Rhodostethia rosed) in either year, and we found ivory gulls (Pagophila eburned) only in 2003, even though these species commonly bred here in the 1970s. This previously unsurveyed region supports numerous breeding marine birds, but reproductive success on these small islands may be dependent on annual ice conditions and consequent movements of Arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus).