Showcasing new artists and writers each month, Pocket Birds doesn't just teach you about a new bird in each issue, but sparks your creativity and encourages you to share your creations with the community to inspire others.
Learn. Create. Inspire.
Pocket Birds is an experiment in slowing down, getting outside, and finding creativity in a casual hobby.
Get a new bird delivered to you each month, from identification and behavior to fun facts, folklore, art, and storytelling. Pocket Birds issues are 12-16 page zines packed full of facts, art, and creative writing.
Pocket Birds will start with six issues, released one month at a time. Each issue a pleasant surprise in your mailbox when it arrives, but that's just the start! With your support, we hope to continue making new issues far into the future.
Photo by Andrew Boyd
Pocket Birds was first dreamed up while Andy and his wife were watching birds in the San Juan Islands in April 2026. While Andy was making up silly stories for a belted kingfisher around Bowman Bay, he realized how much they enjoyed the hobby and wanted to make something to bring more creativity, imagination, and storytelling to birding.
Showcasing artists and writers each month, our goal is to encourage a slower, creative relationship with the natural world. We hope each issue inspires you to go outside, notice something new, and make something of your own. Whether it's a sketch, a photograph, a poem, or a journal entry, we'd love to see it and share it with the Pocket Birds community!
While the specifics may change between issues, we plan to include the following in each:
How Pocket Birds works and how to share your creations.
A personal note from Andy about the bird.
A list of books, movies, videos, essays, and other media that features the bird.
A list of similar birds in your area if you can't find the exact species the issue is about.
A description of the bird's appearance, key features, songs, and interesting facts.
Folklore or magical tales about the bird.
A full color range map.
Details of the bird's habitat, food, nesting, eggs, general behavior, conservation status, population, range, and if it is the official bird of any state, province or country.
A guest writer section that may be a short story, poem, game, essay, lyrics, craft pattern or other creative writing about the bird.
A 4-6 page journal to document your observations, thoughts, and sketches.
A list of common birding resources on the back cover.
Finally, we'll have 4-6 pieces of unique artwork of the issue's bird throughout.
Icons by Galen Pejeau
Hopefully all of them! But we will start with some common and uncommon birds in North America and birds that mean something to us.
For instance, the Carolina Wren, Osprey, and Black Capped Chickadee are all common birds we love, and the Tawny Frogmouth, Nightjar, American Woodcock, Common Loon, and Great Horned Owl are amazing! Don't even get us started on all the amazing warblers out there.
And yes I'd love to cover the Shoebill Stork at some point. Oh and all the crazy ducks and waterfowl! And raptors! Have you seen a Greater Prairie-Chicken? Wild. There are so many awesome birds to cover.
A mail club is an ongoing subscription that delivers something new to your mailbox on a regular schedule. In the case of Pocket Birds, that means a brand new bird zine every month!
Each issue focuses on a single bird and includes natural history, identification, folklore, artwork, creative inspiration, and more. Subscribers receive every new issue automatically with free shipping.
Standalone copies will always be available for anyone who prefers to pick and choose.
Signing up for a monthly subscription will be available after the campaign, during the post-campaign survey. Backing the campaign is just a one-time purchase.
Get all six of the initial issues of Pocket Birds, their associated Stickers, and a dedicated birding journal to record your ideas, inspiration, creativity and (of course) bird watching!
Includes:
Issue 01: Carolina Wren
Issue 02: Cooper's Hawk
Issue 03: Common Loon
Issue 04: Common Nighthawk
Issue 05: Sandhill Crane
Issue 06: Atlantic Puffin
Six Bird Stickers (one for each issue)
Pocket Birds Journal!
6-Pack of Pocket Birds
Get all six of the initial issues of Pocket Birds and associated Stickers!
Includes:
Issue 01: Carolina Wren
Issue 02: Cooper's Hawk
Issue 03: Common Loon
Issue 04: Common Nighthawk
Issue 05: Sandhill Crane
Issue 06: Atlantic Puffin
Six Bird Stickers (one for each issue)
3-Pack of Pocket Birds
Start with a 3 Pack of Pocket Birds issues and their stickers! You'll be able to select your Issue after the campaign. The issues you select will be mailed out in their respective months.
Includes
3 Pocket Bird issues of your choice
Associated Stickers for each issue
Single Issue of Pocket Birds
Start with a single issue of Pocket Birds, whether Issue 01, or your favorite bird from the first 6 issues we release. You'll be able to select your Issue after the campaign. The issues you select will be mailed out in their respective months.
Includes:
1 Pocket Birds Issue
Its associated bird sticker
Pocket Bird Journal
While each issue includes a small journal section to document your birds and creativity, this dedicated helps you keep everything in one place! Contains 12 bird watching entries across 28 pages.
The journal is the same size as the zines, so everything stacks and bundles nicely on your shelf or journal box.
Made in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pocket Birds has an amazing team behind the scenes, working to bring you high quality zines each month.
Core Team
Andy Boyd
Founder and Lead Designer of Pandion Games and Pocket Birds, he is the primary writer, handles the layout, graphic design and core research alongside the business things like printing the zines and buying pretty stamps.
Galen Pejeau
The primary artist behind Pocket Birds and owner of Nightjar Games. Galen has worked with Pandion Games since 2023 and created the first bird artwork for the project, designed the logo, and some of the technical illustrations. A huge fan of ecology and exploration, he explores those themes in his art and writing such as in his game Solarcrawl.
Samantha Leigh
Editor of Pocket Birds and owner of Blinking Birch Games, Samantha is best known for their acclaimed games Anamnesis, Death of the Author, and The World We Left Behind. Samantha makes sure we don't make any silly grammar or spelling mistakes in our writing.
Ryan Lynch
Artist consultant, Ryan is a graphic designer, artist, and game designer of Outrider Creative, the creator behind the wildly popular Perils & Princesses. Ryan is an artist on the project and helped us with make sure we are paying good rates with artist-friendly licensing and contracts.
Creators in Issues 01 - 06
As we add more artists and writers to the roster, we'll update this list! Check out the links to see their amazing work.
