Migratory birds are arguably the greatest ‘athletes’ on the planet. The physiological capabilities that support long-distance migrations are absolutely mind-boggling, exceeding the wildest dreams of human potential. Imagine deliberately adapting the size of your respiratory or digestive system to match your predominant activity during a certain phase of your life-cycle! As I dived into the literature, I began to fully understand the scale of global migrations and our human impact on this delicate evolutionary phenomenon. At the same time, I realized the tremendous opportunity for storytelling and winning fresh audiences for the cause of nature. The late Thomas Lovejoy, ‘godfather of biodiversity’, once said: “If you take care of birds, you take care of most of the environmental problems in the world.” Knowing what I know now, I couldn’t agree more. Direct descendants of dinosaurs, birds connect hemispheres, continents, countries and communities, unlike any other group of organisms. Birds are the tapestry of life across time and space, messengers of hope in times of great uncertainty and change.

Ever since this life-changing moment in mid-2021, I have been developing the concept for an expedition trilogy called Wings of Survival. The aim of this sports for nature initiative is to inspire and empower people to help protect, conserve, restore, and rewild 30% of the planet by 2030, with my superb exploration partner Leanna Carriere. Leanna was Canada’s first female decathlete, and continues to express her athletic nature through ultra-endurance feats. When I met her, she was hopeful to set a female-first cycling record for the Pan-American Highway, a route that largely overlaps with the Pacific Americas Flyway. For Leanna, it was a no-brainer to shift her focus from a personal record to creating positive impact for the planet. Starting June 2026, Leanna and I will cycle 30,000km from Alaska’s High Arctic to Tierra del Fuego in Patagonia, following the epic migrations of whimbrels on the maiden Wings of Survival expedition. These threatened shorebirds commit to some of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom, and we want to tell their stories through the bird’s eye view.