We have our third issue's bird decided by your votes and it is:
The Common Loon!
This is one of those birds that really highlights how human communities and storytelling can revolve around birds and might be the first issue that we add a couple pages to just to fit it all in. Artwork and research is already underway!
The next poll is up! Don't forget to vote at the bottom of this update!
Vote for an Insectivore or Groundbird to be covered in Issue 04! We have:
Anna's Hummingbird*
Chimney Swift
Common Nighthawk
Downy Woodpecker*
Greater Prairie-Chicken
New Icons
Galen Pejeau has finished up the icons for the core bird categories: Songbirds, Raptors, Waterfowl & Shorebirds, Insectivores & Groundbirds, Wading Birds, and Seabirds.
Illustrations by Galen Pejeau
More Carolina Wren Art!
We already have artwork streaming in for Issues 01, 02, and 03 now. We'd like to share some of the wonderful Carolina Wren illustrations from Overshia and Tony Tran!
Art by Overshia
Art by Tony Tran
Two Minigames
Because we are a TTRPG studio at heart, both Issue 01: Carolina Wren, and Issue 02: Cooper's Hawk will feature mini games that you can play! Issue 02's minigame will be written by Nick Gralewicz from Deep Dark Games, best known for A Perfect Rock, and Home: Mech x Kaiju.
Part of why we are making Pocket Birds is because we want to hear and share your bird stories and experiences with the community! Below is a story from Vic P. (who is now an artist for our Loon issue! Welcome to the team, Vic!).
During the summers of 2014-2017, I was lucky enough to join a PhD project in the Canadian Tundra, studying shorebirds at the East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary on Southampton Island. I was surrounded by hundreds of waterfowl, songbirds, shorebirds, caribou, insects, flowers, and fresh air. A constant soundtrack of birdcalls graced my ears, all hours of the day and "night" (the sun never set). I think the coolest experience I had was observing two sandhill cranes, potentially a mated pair - that site was rarely visited by Sandhill cranes (or any cranes), so witnessing this was life-changing! Core memory achieved.
* Hummingbirds and Woodpeckers are technically their own categories, but we combined them with the Insectivores and Groundbirds. Read more about our categories here.
