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[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Most W. Hudson Bay polar bears stay 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.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

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.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

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.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

New map of w. 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 keeping bears offshore.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

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.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Western Hudson Bay polar bears are getting back to the NE of Churchill area. This is a consistent hot spot for the bears in spring. The combination of ringed seals in stable ice & bearded seals / harbour seals in the more active nearshore ice make this a prime hunting area.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Most Hudson Bay polar bears are NE of Cape Churchill - a "normal" distribution. Our ear tag radios (purple dots) are slowly disappearing - it's usually antenna failure that's the problem. Prime feeding season about a month off but mating season is in full swing.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Some Hudson Bay bears have shifted south but they're still rather spread out. The 5 bears lines up NE of Cape Churchill is a bit odd - maybe a large lead has opened up.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Hudson Bay polar bears are distributed widely but on the western side of the Bay. Fairly typical. 2 mothers, presumably with new cubs, came out of dens this week. They'll soon head out to the ice: it's a critical time for them as they need to rebuild fat reserves for summer.

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[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Hudson Bay are well spread out & doing different things. One female (K) has moved close to shore. Bear C has emerged from a den - it's a bit early if she's got new cubs but we'll see if she stays there or moves onto the ice.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Hudson Bay polar bears continue their outward migration. Bear H near Cape Churchill was in the denning area last week but is now on the ice. Likely a failed litter. Bears leaving in January don't usually have cubs. Hard to say what happened.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Hudson Bay polar bears are well spread out. It's interesting to see bear E4 (adult male, northern most bear in centre of Bay) moving to the SW in the past week. It's a typical distribution for a time of year when hunting success is likely low (but we have little data on this).

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Western Hudson Bay polar bears are doing what they usually do during the ice-free period: nothing. Energy conservation is the priority. For moms with cubs, avoiding other bears is also important (infanticide risk). Now the bears wait for cold & sea ice to return.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Western Hudson Bay polar bears are spread from Ontario to Nunavut (including 1 well to the NE). More bears went south than "normal" but it was also reflected in spring captures with many bears having no prior history. Now they wait for freeze-up (29 C, 84 F) forecast so it's hot!

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

It's very unusual to see polar bears still out on so little sea ice. This is a change in behaviour compared to the past when 30% ice cover meant heading for land. Perhaps the hunting is still good? Perhaps they need to fatten more? Maybe they found a few solid bits of ice?

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

It's amazing to see so many polar bears still out on the last bits of ice in Hudson Bay. Bear E4 made it to land on the northern tip of Québec. Staying out on so little sea ice is a big shift in behaviour from the past decades.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Hudson Bay polar bears are hanging on to the last bits of sea ice in 2025. In the past <30% ice & bears were heading ashore. It appears the bears are now somewhat more flexible in their behaviour & staying out longer. Perhaps by necessity as they were lean this spring?

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Precious little ice left in Hudson Bay but some polar bears we're tracking are staying offshore. Based on their poor condition this spring, some bears may need another seal or two to survive the on land period. Satellite images can't see the small bits the bears are using.

[Andrew Derocher @AEDerocher]

Hudson Bay polar bears are coming ashore. It’s an early break up. When I started studying the bears here in 1984, some stayed out on the ice until August. They use 1 kg of stored energy per day so the ice-free period is a key factor in their success.