"Microlight Milly" to Lap Australia for the Shorebirds
Newcastle-based illustrator and zoologist Amelia 'Milly' Formby is undertaking a bold mission in order to raise awareness for the plight of migratory shorebirds in Australia, attempting to fly a lap of the country in an Airborne M4 microlight.
Launching her crowdfunding campaign earlier this month, Formby hopes to raise money and awareness for the world's most endangered group of bird species with her round trip starting in Broome, WA.
There are over 50 species of migratory shorebirds in Australia, and they're capable of some incredible things. The Bar-Tailed Godwit, for example, is capable of flying up to 12,000km non-stop. Populations are declining for up to 80% of these species however, thanks to habitat loss all along their migratory paths.
Formby, who has co-created a children's book to educate schoolchildren about Shorebirds, learned to fly in 2016 when she had the idea of following the shorebirds migratory path from Australia to Siberia. Years later, Formby is now a fully-qualified microlight pilot with cross country and passenger endorsements.
Meeting up with aviation-world heavyweights like Red Bull Racing's Matt Hall along the way, Formby hopes her efforts to bring awareness to the Shorebird crisis can spark positive change for Shorebirds ot only here, but across the globe.
To learn more, check out Milly's launch video on YouTube here.
You can donate to Milly's campaign here.