American scientist William Sladen, the inspiration behind the Hollywood film Fly Away Home, is to speak at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute next week.

Dr. Sladen and a team from the Swan Research Programme in Airlie, Virginia, developed Operation Migration in the 1990s, a project that taught birds new migrations routes by encouraging them to follow an ultralight aircraft.

The lecture, 'Teaching Geese, Swans and Cranes Migration Routes by Ultralight Aircraft', will explain the science behind the movie and include scenes of the first flight of Canada geese from Ontario to Airlie.

The lecture will be held in the Tradewinds Auditorium at the BUEI at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Tickets are available from the BUEI gift shop and The Body Shop, and are $15 for Bermuda Audubon Society and BUEI members, $20 for non-members and $5 for children.