Above picture: Brian Roberts lecturing at the Simbithi Eco-estate on his experiences on the Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025 voyage, along with his model of a Wandering Albatross
Brian Roberts is a BirdLife South Africa Golden Bird Patron who was aboard the Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025 voyage in January. Earlier this month he gave a lecture at the Simbithi Eco-estate in KwaZulu-Natal in its “Enviro Talk” series entitled “The Flock to Marion: a Photographic Trip Report”, enlivening his presentation with a scale model of a Vulnerable Wandering Albatross that he had made himself.
Following Brian’s talk and a vote of thanks by Nicolette Forbes, Chairperson of BirdLife eThekwini KZN and BirdLife South Africa Board member, the organiser of the event, Ayanda Duma, the Environmental Manager at Simbithi, made the generous gesture of donating the door takings totalling R2170 to the Saving Marion Island’s Seabirds: The Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project. This amount will be registered as a two-hectare sponsorship in the name of the Simbithi Eco-estate on the project’s Honour Roll.
The 65-strong audience listens to Brian Roberts’ talk; photograph by Ayanda Duma, Environmental Manager, Simbithi Eco-estate
In addition to the kind R2170 donation, a member of the audience applied to become a BirdLife South Africa Conservation League Donor. So, a good evening all round for bird conservation!
A Wandering Albatross flies by the MSC Musica on the Flock to Marion 2025 voyage; photograph by Brian Roberts
Since the Flock to Marion 2025 voyage, quite a few keen birders who were on the ship have given presentations on their onboard experiences to local bird clubs and other groups. The MFM Project thanks them all for helping increase awareness of its work towards eradicating the island’s introduced mice. If suitable photographs are available, we will be happy to consider featuring talks and lectures on the MFM Project website or in our social media accounts.
With thanks to Ayanda Duma, Nicolette Forbes and Brian Roberts.
John Cooper, News Correspondent, Mouse-Free Marion Project, 21 May 2025
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A Northern Giant Petrel chick on Marion Island, pastels and pencil artwork by Claire Osborne of Artists & Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) for the Mouse-Free Marion Project; after a photograph by Liezl Pretorius
The Mouse-Free Marion Project is a registered non-profit company (No. 2020/922433/08) in South Africa, established to eradicate the invasive albatross-killing mice on Marion Island in the Southern Ocean. The project was initiated by BirdLife South Africa and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. Upon successful completion, the project will restore the critical breeding habitat of over two million seabirds, many globally threatened, and improve the island’s resilience to a warming climate. For more information or to support the project please visit mousefreemarion.org.
