Hudson Strait Common Eider and Polar Bear Surveys 2014 Field Season Report Project Overview Our ongoing research investigates the status of common eiders, red-throated loons and other ground nesting birds nesting on coastal islands in the Hudson Strait, Ungava Bay, and Foxe Basin marine regions of the eastern Canadian Arctic. There is considerable interest in the north relating to issues of human health and food security, as well as wildlife conservation and sustainable harvest. We are focusing on several emerging issues of significant ecological and conservation importance: 1. Quantifying the extent of polar bear predation on eider nests as sea ice diminishes. 2. Quantifying the spread and severity of avian cholera outbreaks among northern eider populations. 3. Quantifying the distribution and abundance of birds nesting on coastal islands in support of environmental sensitivity mapping and marine emergency response planning. Clockwise from top left: Adamie Mangiuk conducting surveys in Digges Sound, Nik Clyde measuring ponds on an eider colony, a Common Eider on her nest. 2014 Research Highlights Avian Cholera and Marine Birds Avian cholera is one of the most lethal diseases for birds in North America. Although it has circulated in southern Canada and the United States for many years, its emergence among eiders in the north is new. To better understand transmission dynamics and potential population level impacts for eiders we have undertaken sampling across the eastern Arctic. We are examining the geographic extent of the outbreaks, as well as the origins, virulence and evolution of the disease. Map of survey locations and the year in which they were completed. Several sites near Cape Dorset were surveyed in multiple years. Stars indicate long-term research sites. In addition to the 400 islands surveyed from 2010-2013, in 2014 we surveyed 9 common eider breeding colonies in detail in Digges Sound, near Ivujivik, QC. Data on species diversity and habitat characteristics were collected on each island, including samples of plants and invertebrates, sediment cores, soil samples, extent of vegetation, and pond water samples. These samples are part of an in depth study of eider colonies in Hudson Strait that aims to quantify how nutrient input from eider ducks themselves influence plant communities, eider nesting distribution, and their subsequent vulnerability to polar bear predation. Map of known avian cholera outbreaks in Nunavik and Nunavut. During our surveys from 2009-2014, we have not encountered significant mortality events in any of the locations that we surveyed in Nunavut, other than East Bay Island. In contrast, outbreaks continue to occur in Nunavik and the geographic range of confirmed outbreak locations has increased considerably since 2004. Confirmed or suspected outbreaks have been documented from Aupaluk in Ungava Bay to Inukjuak in Hudson Bay. Common Eider breeding pair abundance (black bars) and directly observed female common eider mortality (red bars) on East Bay Island (1997 – 2014). The largest cholera outbreak to date has occurred at East Bay Island, near Coral Harbour, Nunavut. This is a long term Environment Canada research site and we have been able to document sequential outbreaks over several years. Deaths from Avian Cholera are reduced from previous years, but the colony has not yet rebounded to pre-cholera levels. We recovered 29 dead eiders in 2014, compared to 3,722 at the peak of the cholera epidemic in 2006. The cholera outbreak on East Bay Island resulted in lower survival rates of females on the island. Survival rates of females have now recovered but the colony remains below pre-outbreak numbers. F Female Common Eider survival at East Bay Island 2000-2011. Avian cholera emergence pattern in Hudson Strait in relation to the migratory paths of (a) common eiders wintering in Atlantic Canada, (b) common eiders wintering in west Greenland, and (c) mid-continent lesser snow geese. Yellow stars indicate locations where avian cholera outbreaks have been observed. The presence of avian cholera in the Canadian Arctic appears to be new. Avian Cholera may be transmitted to northern breeding colonies via eiders migrating north from wintering locations with active outbreaks, or from other migratory species such as snow geese. To document the migratory paths of common eiders breeding at East Bay Island, we collaborated with Danish veterinarians and surgically implanted 46 satellite transmitters in eiders during the 2012-2013 breeding seasons. To date, in Hudson Strait avian cholera outbreaks have been documented on the north coast of Quebec (Nunavik) and Southampton Island; however, outbreaks have not been observed on Baffin Island, the Canadian High Arctic, or Greenland. This distribution of outbreaks together with documented migration patterns is consistent with the hypothesis that the disease is spread by eiders wintering in Canada through contact with Atlantic eider populations where the disease is known to circulate in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Polar Bears and Seabirds Reports from multiple northern communities indicate that polar bears are being seen on the coastal islands where eiders breed with greater frequency than in the past. Inuit harvesters have reported large scale destruction of eider duck nests, declining profitability of eider down collection, and shifting bird distributions as a result of intense nest predation. Number of days in which at least one bear was seen on East Bay Island (a) and Coats Island (b) seabird breeding colonies by year and in relation to ice conditions (c,d). At East Bay Island polar bears are present on the island more frequently in recent years (a) and this appears to be related to ice conditions (c). The same pattern has been observed for the Thick-billed Murre colony on Coats Island (b and d). Taken together, these results suggest that ice conditions are having important indirect effects for eider reproduction in the eastern Arctic due to the relationship between ice conditions and bear prevalence at breeding colonies. During our ongoing colony surveys throughout Hudson strait we quantify evidence of polar bears on breeding colonies to determine how widespread nest depredation by polar bears has become and what impact it is having on bird reproduction. From left to right: an active eider nest; a depredated eider nest; and polar bear feces containing egg shell fragments. • We encountered polar bears or polar bear sign on 34% of the eider colonies that we surveyed indicating that the behaviour is widespread. • Bear sign was more likely to be encountered on islands with more nests, less ice, farther from the mainland, and a longer boating distance from human settlement. • Eider nesting success was three times lower on islands with bear sign than without bear sign. Nest loss at the rates we observed are unsustainable and are a cause for conservation concern. Due to the high frequency of polar bear visits to the East Bay Island colony scientists must now leave the island during peak bear season. This has presented us with an opportunity to investigate bear behaviour in the absence of humans and in 2014 we set up time-lapse cameras to photo document bear activity. These data will allow us to investigate key parameters, such as the rate at which bears depredate nests and how many bears visit the colony during the breeding season. Time lapse photos of a bear visiting 3 eider nests in 13 minutes at East Bay Island. Research Partnerships, Field Support, and Financial Partners Our project is a collaborative effort involving many organizations. Grant Gilchrist (Environment Canada) and Mark Forbes (Carleton University) are the principle investigators, Sam Iverson (PhD Candidate, Carleton University), Nik Clyde (MSc Candidate, Carleton University) and Mike Janssen (Environment Canada) served as project coordinators in 2014. The field work component of this project is logistically challenging and benefits from the local knowledge and expertise provided by community members who participate directly in the research. For work completed near Ivujivik we are grateful for the assistance provided by the Ivujivik municipal office, and the expertise and local knowledge provided by our guides: Adamie Mangiuk, Phillipe Audlaluk, Saima Mark, and Adamie Ainalik. Nik Clyde, John Klymko and Kathryn Hargan led the field component of this research. For work completed near Coral Harbour we are grateful for the assistance of the Aiviit Hunters and Trappers Organisation (Louisa Kudluk) and our guides in the field: Josiah Nakoolak and Jupie Angootealuk. Research in Canada’s north is expensive and funding for this work is necessarily provided by a network of partnerships that includes: The Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, Nunavut General Monitoring Plan, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada Science and Technology Branch, NSERC, The Weston Foundation, and Carleton University. Field crew conducting research at East Bay Island (left) and Digges Sound (right). Recent and Pending Scientific Publications on Polar Bears, Cholera, and Eiders Iverson, S. A., H. G. Gilchrist, P. A. Smith, A.J. Gaston and M. R. Forbes. 2014. Longer ice-free seasons increase the risk of nest depredation by polar bears for colonial breeding birds in the Canadian Arctic. Proc. R. Soc. B 2014 281, 20133128 Legagneux, P., Berzins, L. L., Forbes, M. R., Harms, N. J., Hennin, H., Bourgeon, S., Gilchrist, H. G., Bêty, J., Soos, C., Love, O. P., Foster, J. and Burness, G. 2014. No selection on avian immune