Above picture: Fron left, Adam Cruickshank and Tyron Dall of The Birding Life and Anton Wolfaardt, Mouse-Free Marion Project Manager, hold a symbolic cheque for R 15 000 aboard the MSC Musica
For a three-month period, Adam Cruickshank and Tyron Dall of The Birding Life, a website-based group of keen birders, donated one hectare to the Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project for every sale of Vortex Viper binoculars through its online shop.
Adam writes on The Birding Life’s Facebook page: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who purchased a pair of Vortex Vipers between November 2024 and January 2025. Thanks to your support, we proudly handed over a R15 000 cheque to the Mouse-Free Marion Project during the recent Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025 voyage aboard the MSC Musica. This contribution means that 15 hectares have been sponsored, playing a crucial role in restoring Marion Island’s ecosystem by aiding in the eradication of invasive mice. A huge thank you to Vortex Optics South Africa for partnering with us on this incredible campaign! As a token of appreciation, each person who purchased a pair of binoculars during the campaign will receive a certificate from the Mouse-Free Marion Project, recognizing their valuable contribution to this vital conservation effort.”
The Birding Life recorded several podcast episodes while aboard the Flock voyage that will be released on its website soon.
The Birding Life supported the MFM Project through its campaign
The MFM Project thanks The Birding Life and Vortex Binoculars for their valued support.
John Cooper, News Correspondent, Mouse-Free Marion Project, 18 February 2025
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Two Sooty Albatrosses fly over a Marion Island bay with mouse-free Prince Edward Island on the horizon, artwork by Joyce Hartmann of Artists & Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) for the MFM Project; after photographs by Danielle Keys and Kim Stevens
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.
