1900 birdwatchers gather on the MSC Musica in support of the Mouse-Free Marion Project, photograph by Cassie Carstens

The Emeritus ACAP Information Officer spent last week at sea helping fund raise over three and a half million Rands by way of silent and live auctions and by sponsoring hectares for the Mouse-Free Marion Project that aims to eradicate the island’s introduced House Mice that have turned to attacking and killing albatrosses and burrowing petrels. The following edited media release by BirdLife South Africa gives an idea of what transpired on the Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025 voyage into the Southern Ocean aboard a luxury cruise liner.

Sooty Albatrosses, photograph by Miles Cluff

“A voyage organised by BirdLife South Africa in association with the Mouse-Free Marion Project and hosted by MSC Cruises departed Durban Harbour, South Africa on 24 January, bound for the waters around South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands, with 1900 passionate birders and conservationists aboard, and returned on 31 January.  Primarily a fundraising and awareness campaign, the voyage raised over R9 000 000 [for BirdLife South Africa and for the Mouse-Free Marion Project] through various sources for conservation causes, a staggering sum and testament to the importance of the Mouse-Free Marion Project, and the generosity of our passengers.

This voyage offered birders of all ages and experience levels a unique opportunity to appreciate the wide variety of seabirds that live in the Southern Ocean, many of which breed on Prince Edward and Marion Island, located 1900 kilometres from Durban, or roughly halfway to Antarctica. The islands are in a band of latitude long known by sailors as the ’Roaring Forties,’ due to the area’s fierce winds

The focus of the trip was to highlight the unfortunate plight that these seabirds face, namely predation by invasive house mice. The voyage also raised funds for the Mouse-Free Marion Project, a conservation campaign dedicated to restoring Marion Island’s ecosystem to a pristine state.  Introduced inadvertently to Marion Island by sealers in the early-1800s, eradicating the invasive mice is the eponymous goal of the Mouse-Free Marion Project.

Prince Edward Island from outside territorial waters, photograph by Ken Findlay

Stationed around the ship were seabird and marine mammal experts, who facilitated the spotting and identification of seabirds, whales, and other mammals for the enthusiastic and excited passengers, for some of whom this was their first time birding at sea.    Many of our passengers spent hours at a time on the outer decks of the ship, hoping to spot the seabirds that are only found with regularity in these remote waters to which no other commercial vessels usually travel. One would normally have to travel to this remote part of the Southern Ocean aboard the S.A. Agulhas II, South Africa’s polar research vessel. Luckily, the MSC Musica was more comfortable than a research vessel, with amenities like coffee, tea, and pastry stations found regularly throughout the ship.

Among the 1900 passengers aboard the MSC Musica were such luminaries of the scientific and ornithological communities as Peter Harrison MBE, who has spent his life studying seabirds and is the first Patron of the Mouse-Free Marion Project, and Professor Peter Ryan, Emeritus Professor of the University of Cape Town and former director of the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, among many other experts on various topics including seabird ecology, island restoration, and sub-Antarctic research.

Peter Harrison MBE, Mouse-Free Marion Project Patron, lectures on albatrosses aboard the MSC Musica, photograph by Mark Anderson

When birders were not gazing with wonder at the many species of seabirds from the decks of the ship, (species seen included Wandering, Sooty, Grey-headed and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, Macaroni and King Penguins, Southern and Northern Giant Petrels, Salvin’s Prion, and Blue and Kerguelen Petrels), they were able to visit the high-tech lecture venues on the MSC Musica, and learn from the experts on various topics, such as the ecology of Marion Island, the life cycle of the Wandering Albatross, and the logistics of eradicating mice from Marion Island.

Wandering Albatross from the MSC Musica, photograph by Trevor Hardaker

A voyage of this popularity and scale is a largely unprecedented undertaking by a conservation organisation; but in fact, this was the fourth trip of its kind hosted by BirdLife South Africa.  Known as “Flocks at Sea”, the first of which took place in 2013, and continued in 2017, and in 2022 with the first “Flock to Marion”, these events have earned a reputation for being unique voyages, which attract attendance by people from all around the world and of all ages.  Thanks to the dedication of our organising committee and the eager support of our passengers, we are very grateful to be able to add another successful trip to that list.”

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 06 February 2025

Martin-de-Viviès Station on Amsterdam Island, photograph by Antoine Lamielle

UPDATE

Here is the latest news on the fire on Amsterdam, translated from a TAAF media release dated 29 January 2025.

“The fire on the island of Amsterdam remains active and continues to advance south under favourable weather conditions, marked by dry weather and strong winds.  To date, an estimated 1048 hectares have been burned, or 18% of the island’s area. The teams of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF) and their partners are continuing to mobilize to monitor the evolution of the situation and anticipate the necessary actions.

A reconnaissance mission will depart on board the Floréal, a surveillance frigate of the French Navy, on 7 February.  Composed of a detachment of four professional SDIS firefighters from Réunion and seven technical staff of the TAAF, including a doctor, the mission will have the following objectives:

• assess the development of the fire by identifying persistent hot spots;
• establish an inventory of the island’s vital infrastructure, including water, energy, fire safety and communications networks;
• to ensure the safety of equipment;
• to investigate the causes of the fire.

The authorities of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories remain fully committed to the management of this crisis and thank all the actors involved for their support and determination in the face of this exceptional situation."

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 A fire that that started on France’s sub-Antarctic Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean on 15 January has led to all 31 personnel occupying the Martin-de-Viviès scientific station being evacuated the next day “in the face of the flames that were out of control”.  The fire broke out near Pointe-Bénédicte 2.5 km from the station and was quickly spread by strong winds to threaten the buildings.  “The personnel first “tried to fight the fire but the weather conditions were very unfavourable, with strong gusts, so they were overwhelmed”.  The island’s scientists and military personnel were first removed to the French crayfishing boat Austral early in the day after the fire commenced and then transferred to France’s polar supply and research vessel, Marion du Fresne, the following day, following its diversion from the French Kerguelen Islands to the east.  According to reports, it is not yet known whether any buildings at the Martin-de-Viviès Station escaped the flames.

Amsterdam Albatrosses engage in mutual display, photograph by Romain Buenadicha

The evacuation will result in a halt of biological monitoring, including of the island’s ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels, one of which, the Endangered  Amsterdam Albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis, breeds nowhere else.  Amsterdam Island is the only locality where research on the Endangered Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche carteri is undertaken.  Checking for the presence of rodents following an eradication effort in 2024 will also have been halted as a result of the evacuation.  Monitoring of greenhouse gas concentrations will also be affected, as will the collection of magnetic and seismological data.

Amsterdam Island from the air, photograph from Thierry Micol

Information from here and other sources.

With thanks to Susan Micol and Richard Phillips for information.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 24 January 2025, updated 05 February 2025

The latest ACAP Infographic, for the Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli, the 18th to be produced iin the series, is now available in the ACAP official languages of French and Spanish, as well as in English.

The ACAP Species Infographic series is designed to help inform the general public, including school learners, of the threats faced by albatrosses and what is being and can be done to combat them.  They serve to complement the more detailed and referenced ACAP Species Assessments, the concise and illustrated ACAP Species Summaries and the ACAP Photo Essay series

The infographics produced to date may be freely downloaded at a high resolution to allow for printing professionally in two poster sizes (approximately A2 and A3).  English and Portuguese language versions of infographics are available to download here, whilst French and Spanish versions can be found in their respective language menus for the website under Infographies sur les espèces and Infographía sobres las especies.

Please note they are only being made available for personal use or when engaging in activities that will aid in drawing attention to the conservation crisis faced by the world’s albatrosses and petrels – when ACAP will be pleased to receive a mention.

The infographics are created by Thai illustrator Namasri ‘Namo’ Niumim from Bangkok.

With thanks to ‘Pep’ Arcos and Karine Delord for their careful checking of texts in their home languages.

John Cooper, Emeritus ACAP Information Officer, 04 February 2025

 N333, son of Wisdom, broods its second known hatchling in February 2023, photograph by Catie Mahon, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Volunteer

Wisdom’s (the world’s oldest known Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis) first banded chick fledged from Sand Island, Midway Atoll in the 2010/11 season bearing colour band red N333.  As a chick it had survived the 11 March 2011 tsunami that inundated most of Midway’s Eastern Island, as well as parts of Sand Island.  The bird, thought to be a male due to its larger bill size, was regularly sighted near Wisdom’s nest site over 2018-2021.

It was first recorded breeding in the 2021/22 season with mate DH00 some 160 m away from Wisdom's usual nest site among bushes close to the shoreline.  Their chick was found dead in May 2022 at around four months of age.  The next season (2022/23) N333 was back at the same nest site on a pipping egg on 13 February 2023, which hatched the next day, and survived at least until May.  Information on the outcome of the 2022/23 chick and of the 2023/24 season is not currently available.

N333 is now incubating its 2024/25 egg at the same nest site, where it was videoed by Dan Rapp on 12 December 2024,  He is 14 years old and his egg is due to hatch any day - as is Wisdom’s own egg. The first recorded Laysan Albatross chick on Midway this season was seen on 20 January.

Midway’s first Laysan Albatross hatchling for 2025, photograph by Joe Owen, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Volunteer

Information from Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and previous articles posted to ACAP Latest News.

John Cooper, Emeritus ACAP Information Officer, 03 February 2025

Note. The Emeritus ACAP Information Officer spent last week at sea in the Southern Ocean without access to Internet.  Postings to ACAP Latest News have resumed.