Zoologist turned pilot, Amellia ‘Milly’ Formby is taking off on an adventure of a lifetime and flying solo around Australia, determined to raise awareness for migratory shorebirds.
Originally from Gippsland in Victoria, Formby is an artist, zoologist, pilot and illustrator, currently working for BirdLife Australia as a Project Officer for their Migratory Shorebird Program based in Newcastle.
Wing Threads is the official name of Formby’s flying adventure, where she plans to take off in her Airborne M4 Sport microlight and visit schools and libraries around Australia, helping to spread some much-needed awareness about migratory shorebirds and the importance of wetlands.
To help support her message, Formby will be promoting her new nonfiction storybook, A Shorebird Flying Adventure, which is due to be published in June.
Co-authored with Jackie Kerin and illustrated by Formby, the book educates mid-primary school-age children about the importance of wetland ecosystems using migratory shorebirds as a model.
“I was approached by CSIRO Publishing, who asked if I was interested in creating a children’s book about my Wing Threads adventure to promote migratory shorebird conservation,” Formby said.
“I’m now preparing to take off on my flying journey while also bringing A Shorebird Flying Adventure to schools all around the coast.
“The aim is to basically raise the importance of protecting our wetland habitat as well as the super special animals and creatures that live among them!”
The school visits will fulfil the educational objectives for BirdLife Australia’s Migratory Shorebird Conservation Action Plan, which aims to improve conservation outcomes for migratory shorebirds and wetland ecosystems throughout the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
Formby said that wetland ecosystems provided us with clean water, food, protection from storms and created buffers against climate change.
“Shorebirds teach us that protecting these habitats is not just for the birds but for our health and well-being too,” she said.
Formby said there were 50 species of shorebirds in Australia, and 37 of those were migratory, which meant they flew up to Siberia in Russia every year to breed.
“So, they fly there during our winter every year, and then they fly all the way back again, which is about a 25,000-kilometre journey,” she said.
“They follow a route called the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, and along the way, they stop at wetlands to rest and refuel.
“A lot of those wetlands are currently under threat and pressure, mainly due to human activity, particularly around the Yellow Sea in China and Korea, which means that many shorebird species have declined a significant amount over the years.”
Formby said shorebirds had become some of the most endangered birds in the world, such as the Eastern Curlew, which had declined by 80 per cent in the past 40 years.
Shorebirds can be defined by their specific characteristics; for example, they don’t have webbed feet, restricting them from landing on water.
They are also often seen wading in shallow wetlands all around Australia.
“Many people don’t know what shorebirds are, so when people go to the beach, they aren’t aware of their presence. So disturbance is one of the biggest threats,” Formby said.
“So, four-wheel drives, jet skis, boats, fishing and dogs off leashes … all of these things can have significant impacts on the shorebird habitat.
“I’m hoping that people will become aware of their presence and the importance of the wetland ecosystems that they rely on, and that’s what we are trying to achieve with this project by really grabbing everyone’s attention.”
Formby is hoping to start the journey in May from Broome, Western Australia and travel at 5000ft anticlockwise around the country—she said the journey should take her around six months.
“It’s about 90 stops and 20,000 kilometres in total. Also, depending on where the airfields are, it’s around 100 to 400 kilometres between each stop,” Formby said
“I am so excited, and it will be a lot of new experiences for me too; I haven’t flown in those parts of Australia before, so it will definitely be a challenge for my piloting skills.”
Formby is currently raising money to help cover the cost of fuel and maintenance for the microlight aircraft, as well as food and accommodation for herself and the two-person ground crew who will be following her in a car.
She has raised over $30,000 of the $75,000 needed to sustain the six-month journey.
To donate towards Formby’s trip or to follow along with her microlight flying adventure, visit Wing Threads on Facebook or wingthreads.com.
Hayley McMahon