Stealth Bird Watching

Finally, a PC simulation game for birders! I’m assuming there must have been a market for this sort of thing. Sounds like just the ticket for those occasions when (a) you are bedridden, (b) the weather is just too fowl to go out and watch real birds, or (c) you want to trick your non-birding children, family members, friends, or neighbors into getting hooked on the sport.

Birds of North America—the PC simulation game—comes to you from Indigo Games, a developer of computer games and game technologies. As you master the game, you progress through six skill levels, from Weekend Birder to Master Birder, with badges awarded for each species that you correctly identify.

The Hook: the ultimate goal of this game is to Re-discover the Ivory-billed Woodpecker:

Will you be the one to re-discover the elusive Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and be the first person to post conclusive virtual photographic evidence of your find?

Much excitement surrounds the controversial re-discovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Whether you believe that it is no longer extinct, or not, go Birding to re-discover this most elusive of species in the game.

If you've spotted enough birds you will unlock the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and have the chance to track it down in it's native habitat, and capture it on camera.

A full list of the games features can be found here.

Credit: I first learned of this game at Game Set Watch, who provides additional interesting commentary here. The image is taken from the same source.