The Harry Gibbons Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a migratory

Bird migration

Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...

 bird sanctuary in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut

Nunavut

Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is located in western Southampton Island

Southampton Island

Southampton Island is a large island at the entrance to Hudson Bay at Foxe Basin. One of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Southampton Island is part of the Kivalliq Region in Nunavut, Canada. The area of the island is stated as by Statistics Canada . It is the 34th largest...

 in the area of the Boas River

Boas River

The Boas is a river on Southampton Island in Nunavut, Canada. The river rises at and its mouth is located at the Bay of Gods Mercy. Proceeding inland, the river becomes braided and is about wide.It is named after anthropologist Franz Boas.-Fauna:...

 and Bay of Gods Mercy

Bay of Gods Mercy

Bay of Gods Mercy is a waterway in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Hudson Bay off southwestern Southampton Island. The Boas River empties into the bay....

.

Established 1 January 1959, and consisting of 149,500 hectares, the MBS is rated Category IV by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Of its 1224 km² (472.6 sq mi) in overall size, 78 km² (30.1 sq mi) is a marine area with marine, intertidal

Intertidal zone

The intertidal zone is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, with many types of animals like starfish, sea urchins, and some species of coral...

, and subtidal components.

The sanctuary is named after Harry Gibbons Ohnainewk (c. 1900-1954), a local Inuit

Inuit

The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...

 hunter and guide whose journals provided valuable weather data, especially on wind.

It is one of two bird sanctuaries on the island, the other being the East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary

East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary

The East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a migratory bird sanctuary in Kivalliq, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in East Bay, an arm of Hudson Bay, in southeast Southampton Island. The nearest community is Coral Harbour, to the west...

, situated 87 mi (140 km) to the northeast.

Other designations

Along with its wetlands, the Boas River is a Canadian Important Bird Area

Important Bird Area

An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...

(site #NU022). The Harry Gibbons MBS takes up the western portion of the IBA.