Above picture: (from left) Sue Tonin, MFM Assistant Project Manager, 100-ha sponsor, Chris Eedes and John Cooper, MFM News Correspondent, aboard the MSC Musica

The Saving Marion Island’s Seabirds – The Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project team was aboard the Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025 voyage on the MSC Musica back in January in force, guiding, giving lectures, holding auctions and running an information table every day.  The project raised 3.7 million Rands from the many birders aboard who made pledges to sponsor one or more hectares.  Some visitors went further with their sponsorships than just a few hectares, with seven joining the prestigious Wandering Albatross category on the project website’s Honour Roll by pledging a hundred hectares or more.  One of the seven was Dr Christopher Eedes, who kindly agreed to be photographed aboard and later to be interviewed by MFM News.

Chris Eedes holds his pledge form before his 100 symbolic albatross stickers were added to the map of Marion Island; photograph by John Cooper

Chris Eedes writes to Mouse-Free Marion News: “I’m a medical doctor, based in Cape Town, specializing in anatomical pathology in a private laboratory.  I’ve always had an interest in wildlife and conservation from early childhood, having been introduced to it by my parents. We as a family visited South Africa’s Kruger National Park as often as possible, which is something I’ve continued to this day.  I’ve visited many parks over the decades.  My interest in birds started with a Pafuri walking safari over a decade ago and I realized this could become a hobby which could lead into bird photography.  I’m still very much in the infancy of this adventure and hope to develop it as I get more free time and approach my retirement.”

Chris goes on to say: “Having first heard about the MFM Project by word of mouth, I joined the Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025 voyage where I listened to the impassioned lectures given aboard by various experts, remarking on their enthusiasm, expertise, dedication, approachability and kindness.  This inspired my donation to the MFM Project.”

“Soaring Sooties”. Sooty Albatrosses by Kitty Harvill, MFM Project Artist-in Residence aboard the Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025 voyage, acrylics. After a photograph by Laurie Smaglick Johnson

The whole MFM Project Team is equally inspired by Chris Eedes’ most generous 100-ha sponsorship.  To express our grateful thanks Chris has been presented with an original painting entitled Soaring Sooties” of two Sooty Albatrosses flying past a cliff-girt shore.  The artwork in acrylics was created and donated by Kitty Harvill, MFM Project Artist-in Residence aboard the Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025 voyage.

 

John Cooper, News Correspondent, Mouse-Free Marion Project. 03 April 2025

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At risk to mice. A winter-breeding Great-winged Petrel in its burrow on Marion Island by Diane Dudzik of Artists & Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) for the Mouse-Free Marion Project; after a photograph by Stefan Schoombie

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.