The Polar Bear Cam
Our live HD cam of the polar bear migration near Churchill, Manitoba, has ended for the season. We'll be back next fall. Until then, you can enjoy highlights from this year's cam.
learn more…Events and news from Polar Bear Capital of the World Churchill, Manitoba.
Around the Town of Churchill
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Tundra Connections
Join us for live broadcasts with leading scientists and educators. You watch from inside. Wild polar bears watch from outside on their tundra home.
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Churchill Blog Posts
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Scientists & Explorers Blog Entry11 hours 30 min agoIn most endeavours, patience pays off. The rub with polar bear research is that patience can make for big bills. Arctic research is expensive but... -
Scientists & Explorers Blog Entry2 days 9 hours agoWhen polar bear biologists dream about weather, they definitely don't dream of warm tropical breezes on a sunny morning. Instead, they long for a... -
Scientists & Explorers Blog Entry1 week 13 hours agoFitting polar bears with GPS collars can provide us with a wealth of information about the movement patterns of these animals. The sea ice is an ever...
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- Broken clouds
- Temperature: 0 °C / 32 °F, feels like -5 °C / 23 °F
- Wind: NNW, 18.5 km/h
- As of: 16/05 21:00
Photo of the Day
A map of satellite-collared polar bears on Western Hudson Bay polar bears shows they're back on the ice at last. Photo copyright Daniel J. Cox/Natural Exposures. December 12, 2011.
South winds over the past week have driven the sea ice away from shore, forcing most of Churchill's polar bears back on land. Old, thin bears like this one may not make it. Photo copyright Daniel J. Cox. December 1, 2011.
Freeze-up is underway and the bears are heading onto the sea ice, ready to hunt seals after fasting for more than four months. Photo by Kassie Siegel. November 22, 2011.
What a beautiful sight! Churchill's polar bears are heading onto the sea ice to hunt seals. Photo by Craig Taylor. November 21, 2011.
Two male bears spar on the tundra. With colder weather, the bears are more active. Photo by Craig Taylor. November 20, 2011.
Polar bears take shelter in the willows during bad weather, waiting out the storm. Photo by Craig Taylor. November 19, 2011.
Two male bears touch noses before beginning a sparring session. Actual conditions today are very blustery, with low visibility. Photo by Julene Reed. November 18, 2011.
Scientists are concerned by the sight of more thin bears this year, including one emaciated older bear found dead on the tundra. Photo by Brendan Cummings. November 17, 2011.
More family groups, like this mother and cub, are starting to show up in Churchill as the polar bear migration progresses. Photo by Julene Reed. November 16, 2011.
A cub nurses after waking from a nap. Late freeze-ups are energetically expensive for mother bears, who rely on their fat reserves to sustain themselves and their young. Photo by Julene Reed. November 15, 2011.
A polar bear conserves energy by napping on the sea ice beginning to form along the coast of Hudson Bay. Photo by Henry Harrison. November 14, 2011.
Conservation officers prepare to relocate a polar bear from Churchill to the coast of north of town. They've handled a record number of bears to date. Photo by Shari Burnett. November 13, 2011.
A polar bear mother and cub snuggle together while waiting for freeze-up. This image is a screenshot from our Polar Bear Cam yesterday. November 12, 2011.
A young, thin bear looks out over the coastline, waiting for freeze-up. Photo by Randy Kokesch. November 11, 2011.
Yesterday, travelers were treated to the rare sight of a gyrfalcon on the tundra. Photo by Julene Reed. November 10, 2011.
By this time of year in the 1980s, the bears would already be out on the ice hunting seals. Photo by Randy Kokesch. November 9, 2011.
Most of the tundra ponds are now frozen and several bears are padding across that ice, perhaps because it's the only ice around. Photo by Randy Kokesch. November 8, 2011.
Three of our Tundra Connections panelists take a moment to enjoy bear-watching from a Tundra Buggy. Photo by Henry Harrison. November 7, 2011.
With no sea ice yet in sight, a polar bear waits patiently in the willows. Photo by Randy Kokesch. November 6, 2011.
Now that cold and snow have arrived in Churchill, the polar bears are more active. Photo by Kristin Dantagnan. November 5, 2011.
Lit by the morning sun, a young polar bear approaches a Tundra Buggy. Photo by Valerie Abbott. November 4, 2011.
Two polar bears spar on the tundra following a lightfall snowfall. Colder temperatures have led to more polar bear activity. Photo by Rebecca Noblin. November 3, 2011.
This fat, healthy male was photographed in the early '80s by PBI's founder, Dan Guravich. Churchill's bears are noticeably thinner now and the population has declined by 22%. November 2, 2011.
A remnant patch of snow provides a good spot for a morning stretch. Unusually warm weather has melted earlier snow and left most of the tundra brown. Photo by Kevin Middel. November 1, 2011.
An arctic hare in winter white is easy to spot on the still-brown tundra. It's highly unusual to have no snow on Halloween. Photo by Henry Harrison. October 31, 2011.
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Northern lights ripple across the sky above the Tundra Buggy Lodge--the"dance of the spirits" to some native peoples. Photo by Kevin Middel. October 30, 2011.
With no access to seals for weeks to come, a polar bear takes a break from gnawing a bone she found on the tundra. Photo by Kevin Middel. October 29, 2011.
The Polar Bear Cam captured an exciting scene yesterday: a wolverine chased by a polar bear. Photo by Kevin Middel. October 28, 2011.
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Bathed in sunlight, a curious polar bear checks out a Tundra Buggy. Photo by Kevin Middel. October 27, 2011.
This bear seems to be thinking: where's the snow? Warmer temperatures have melted much of last week's snowfall. Photo by Kevin Middel. October 26, 2011.
A polar bear uses a rock as a pillow while napping on the tundra. The bears will become more active when the weather turns colder. Photo by Randy Kokesch. October 25, 2011.
A curious young bear approaches a Tundra Buggy. Photo by Valerie Abbott. October 24, 2011.
The first ice on Hudson Bay forms near Churchill, Manitoba, each fall--attracting polar bears, who need a platform of ice to hunt seals. Graphic by John Tagney. October 23, 2011.
Saturday Sleep-in: While waiting for freeze-up, polar bears spend much of their time resting to conserve energy. Photo by Craig Taylor. October 22, 2011.
Two polar bears snack on kelp along the coast. The kelp doesn't have nutritional value: scientists believe the bears eat it to pass the time. October 21, 2011.
Peaceful moment: A polar bear takes a long nap on the tundra, sheltered from the wind by willow trees. October 20, 2011.
As if celebrating the first snowfall of the season, a polar bear rolls in the snow. October 19, 2011.
On top of the world: Tim Sears and BJ Kirschhoffer install the main Polar Bear Cam on Tundra Buggy One. October 18, 2011.
A Tundra Buggy heads out to a prime bear-gathering spot so the crew can erect one of the cameras used in this year's Polar Bear Cam. October 16, 2011.
Churchill's Polar Bear Alert Hotline has already received more than 200 calls this year. October 15, 2011.
A wistful-looking polar bear waits along the shore of Hudson Bay, with no ice in sight. October 14, 2011.
The first bear spotted by our Keeper Leadership Camp students, photo by Victor Alm. October 13, 2011.
Sea Ice Report
Sea ice finally returned to the coast of Western Hudson Bay by December 9th, according to a weekly map published by Enviroment Canada—and Churchill's polar bears fanned across the ice to hunt seals. For the third year in a row, freeze-up took place roughly a month later than the average freeze-up in the 1980s. The Western Hudson Bay population is considered one of the most endangered due to the longer and longer ice-free periods on Hudson Bay, which includes earlier summer melt-offs and late fall freeze-ups.
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