We present the preliminary results of a wide-field photometric survey of individual red giant branch ( RGB ) and asymptotic giant branch ( AGB ) stars in the M81 group , performed with the CFH12K mosaic camera of the CFHT .
We use deep VI images of 0.65 sq .
deg .
of sky to map out the two-dimensional distribution of intragroup stars and to search for stars associated with the many HI tidal tails in the group .
We place an upper limit on the presence of metal-poor RGB stars in a field located 50-80 kpc from M81 , and derive an ‘ intragroup ’ fraction of < 2 % .
In a field sampling the M81-NGC3077 HI tidal tail , we find blue stars associated with some of the tidal features , including 2 clumps which we tentatively describe as tidal dwarf candidates .
These objects are \sim 1 kpc in size , and , based on their color-magnitude diagrams , have formed stars as recently as \sim 30 - 70 Myr ago , long after the group ’ s most recent interactions .