Ross’s Goose (<i>Chen rossi</i>) Nesting Colony at East Bay, Southampton Island, Nunavut

Most Ross’s Geese ( Chen rossi ) nest in the central arctic of North America, but the range has expanded eastward in the last two decades. In summer 2014, we discovered a cluster of 48 nesting pairs of Ross’s Geese at East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary,Southampton Island, Nunavut. The Ross’s Goose colony was between an upland Lesser Snow Goose ( Chen caerulescens caerulescens ) nesting area and a low-lying Cackling Goose ( Branta hutchinsii ) and Atlantic Brant ( Branta bernicla ) nesting area, in a zone dominated by ponds and lakes and interspersed with areas of moss and graminoids. Our discovery documents a previously unknown level of nesting of Ross’s Geese at East Bay and corroborates unpublished evidence of growing numbers of the species on Southampton Island and expansion of its breeding range.