Microlight flight touches down in the Limestone Coast to spread the word on shorebird threats
Join zoologist, pilot, illustrator and adventurer Milly Formby as she embarks on a 20,000 kilometre trip around Australia in a microlight plane. And she’s touching down for a break in the Limestone Coast!
Milly is making this extraordinary trip in an effort to educate Australia about our migratory shorebirds on the edges of the nation; the world's most endangered group of bird species.
Migratory birds make an awe-inspiring 25,000 kilometre round trip from Australia to Siberia each year to breed. Milly will be completing a similar trip in just 180 days, in a microlight specifically chosen because it is most like how shorebirds fly: at about 50 to 55 knots, or just under 100kph.
Milly aims to capture the imagination of children and adults alike, with a book titled A Shorebird Flying Adventure and accompanying eLearning resources designed to engage primary school-aged children with science stories, and encourage a new generation of optimistic problem-solvers.
The Limestone Coast Landscape Board will be supporting Milly with school visits across the region. The LC Landscape Board project partner BirdLife Australia has developed the Migratory Shorebird Conservation Action Plan, which aims to improve conservation outcomes for migratory shorebirds throughout the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Milly’s school visits supports the plan’s educational objectives.
“This is a really fantastic way to highlight that people in coastal areas, and beach walkers, can really make a difference” says Milly.
“Birds and people share the shoreline, and by caring for the local wetland ecosystem in the Limestone Coast, our collective grassroots action can make a massive environmental impact.”
Our Coorong|Our Coast Project Co-ordinator Robbie Andrew is very excited by Milly’s visit as the 5 year project located in the Coorong has been focussing on restoring and improving the habitat for resident and migratory shorebirds.
“It is fantastic to have Milly visit the Limestone Coast to increase awareness around the importance of shorebirds. It has been inspiring to see the amount of interest Milly’s adventure has created in our region which has highlighted the importance of this project in the Coorong,” Robbie said.
“Migratory shorebirds are a living expression of how we're all connected through a global, ecological network,” says Milly. “And in
the Limestone Coast, they’re a doorway into nature that we can see every day.”
