Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Migratory bird sanctuary in Kitikmeot Region, Canada.
The Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a large protected area on Canada's Arctic coast, spanning flat tundra land with many lakes, rivers, and wetlands. The landscape consists mostly of open plains without trees that reach directly to the sea.
The area was named in 1905 after Queen Maud of Norway when explorer Roald Amundsen traveled through the Gulf. It gained its status as a federally protected sanctuary in 1961.
Local Inuit communities from Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, and Umingmaktok maintain traditional harvesting practices within this protected territory.
You need permits for activities that might disturb birds, as the area is heavily protected. The best visiting period is May through September, when nesting occurs and the landscape is accessible.
The area hosts the world's largest population of Ross's geese, with about 90 percent of them breeding here. These white geese gather in large flocks that shape the tundra landscape from May through September.
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