Almost all western Hudson Bay polar bears are ashore but it's unusual to see some still out on the last bits of sea ice. It's getting clearer that some bears have changed their behaviour to stay offshore longer. Necessity or choice? We'll know more when we assess their condition in a few weeks.

Ice anomaly map for Hudson Bay tells a story: polar bears are hanging onto the last bits of ice in a place where it doesn't normally occur (it's usually further south). Good news for Western Hudson Bay bears but maybe not for Southern Hudson Bay bears.🧪

Polar bears never cease to surprise me. There's very little ice left in Hudson Bay yet many bears are still out there trying to get another seal meal or two. The bears are seemingly shifting their behaviour to stay out longer but analyses in my lab will yield more insights.

Dr. Andrew Derocher @aederocher.bsky.social has spent decades studying polar bears in West Hudson Bay. Join us as he shares extraordinary facts about the animals and how loss of sea ice is stressing their ability to regularly find food. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/arc...

Most W. Hudson Bay polar bears are hanging on to the last bits of ice. It feels unusual but we'll need to analyze sea ice data. Staying out on the ice with so little left is odd (note ice image is a week earlier - only clear day). Shifting behaviour by the bears or perhaps need to add more weight?

A few western Hudson Bay polar bears are ashore but most are hanging on to the last remanent bits of ice. In the past, the bears would have been ashore with so little ice but I suspect they've shifted their behaviour to stay out longer: perhaps by necessity if they're not in great condition.

New paper led by @brynneklein.bsky.social former University of Alberta undergrad. Swimming ecology in polar bears is poorly understood but likely an increasingly important part of their life history. The bears are well adapted to long swims but it's energetically expensive & they prefer walking.

The last sea ice in Hudson Bay is rapidly melting. Polar bears are starting to show up on land now. We won't know the condition of the bears until monitoring occurs in August-September. I hope they fattened up after my work in April-May because they were pretty lean.

Hudson Bay sea ice is rapidly disappearing. A fairly typical melt pattern where the ice lingers longer in the area south of Cape Churchill & towards the Ontario coast. Some polar bears are now swimming to shore.

Western Hudson Bay polar bears tracked by satellite are coming ashore (slowly). Some have made landfall & others are trying to hold on to the rapidly dwindling ice for a chance at another seal. As usual, the bears are all coming home. Polar bears are real homebodies.

As Hudson Bay sea ice melts, the bears are moving onshore. This is a bit early than optimal but depends on the condition of the bears & how long until freeze-up in autumn. Bears were lean in April-May when I was out sampling in the spring but a lot can change later in spring (most critical time).

Hudson Bay sea ice looks normal this spring (red areas) but recent warm temperatures of +25 C might change this quickly. Polar bears tracked by satellite are close to shore. They know more about local ice conditions than satellites. Situation further east doesn't look good for Davis Strait bears. 🧪

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Most W. Hudson Bay polar bears are close to Churchill this spring. Can the bears sense an early break-up & are keeping close to home or is the hunting good there? Unseasonably warm in Churchill today (17 C above normal) & sea ice will melt fast with such weather.

Monday ice update - #Arctic sea ice extent is currently the 3rd lowest on record (JAXA data)... • about 360,000 km² below the 2010s mean • about 860,000 km² below the 2000s mean • about 1,310,000 km² below the 1990s mean • about 1,770,000 km² below the 1980s mean More: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i...

W. Hudson Bay polar bears are packed in very close to Churchill - oddly so. For comparison, 2025 map. Is the thin ice I saw keeping them close to shore? The melt is advancing now with above freezing temperatures & the bears don't want to be trapped far offshore with a long swim home.

W Hudson Bay polar bears are sticking close to home this spring. Huge areas of thin sea ice could be non-habitat for them (few seals) so they've all gathered into the better habitat. We may see an early break-up but that now depends on weather conditions in the coming weeks.

Not good news for polar bears (or walrus). We have limited insight on diseases in polar bears and abysmal monitoring. Avian influenza is a major risk for polar bears as they commonly feed on birds (e.g., geese, ducks, sea birds) & sick birds are easier prey. www.newsinenglish.no/2026/05/19/b...

Western Hudson Bay polar bears are packing in nearshore. Typical distribution. Purple dots are eartag radios I deployed in April-May. Blue are adult females collared in autumn.

Our base of operations for polar bear research in Hudson Bay. The Churchill Northern Studies Centre. An excellent facility to work from. Thanks to all the staff that keep it running!

An unusual ringed seal kill site. Polar bear broke through ice to get mom & her pup: a twofer. Most maternity lairs are under snow but ice in Hudson Bay this spring has huge areas of thin ice with no snow so the seals did what they could. I doubt it's a great option (not as warm as snow for pups).

Last bear handled in 2026 polar bear field research project in Hudson Bay. A 28 year old adult female 1st caught in 2009 & only seen once since near Churchill & then moved by helicopter away from town. She was in great shape & now being followed by a satellite eartag radio.

Adult female bearded seal killed by an adult male polar bear NE Cape Churchill. How do I know it was female? She was in the process of giving birth & pup was partway out. Life for the bear is death for the seals: two seals this case. In 42 years of research, a birthing female bearded seal is a 1st.

W. Hudson Bay polar bears & recently deployed eartag radios (purple). Many bears have moved nearshore over last 2 weeks. Finished field work yesterday. An interesting year: lots of thin ice all over the west which makes it tough to work on (we can't land on thin ice) & the bears don't use it much.

New map of western Hudson Bay polar bears. Purple dots are new eartag radios deployed this spring. There would be more but the weather here in Churchill has been really bad. The bears are in their "normal" area for this time of year. Huge area of thin ice in NW is keeping bears a bit offshore.

Not a day for polar bear research. Waiting for weather on the shores of Hudson Bay. The nice thing about polar bear research is that we can only work on sunny days without drifting snow (or we can't follow their tracks).

Yesterday over the sea ice of Hudson Bay doing polar bear field research. Challenging conditions: little snow & highly fractured ice. Conditions will hopefully improve: it's snowing & cold today so that bodes well.

You have to love the headline - "Polar bears spotted off Black Tickle". I'd like to see 2 polar bears up here: we're waiting for weather on the shores of Hudson Bay to continue our research. vocm.com/2026/04/13/p...

Western Hudson Bay polar bears are in their usual spring hunting area. I'm in Churchill now waiting to start field research & deploy eartag satellite radios but no helicopter (stuck in Igloolik in a white out) & the weather here is snowy. Hoping for a helicopter & sun.

Arctic wolves and polar bears are rarely seen together at our CFS Alert study area (Nunavut, Canada), as wolf packs usually displace bears. Here, a lone wolf appears dominated by a bear. This rare interaction was captured by an automatic camera on 5 April 2025. 🧪🌿🌎🦑🦊🐻‍❄️