The Birds Have Landed! 🐦 Zoologist's Primer: Birds is live on Kickstarter

Zoologist's Primer: Birds is now live on Kickstarter, and we couldn't be more proud to bring this book on bird folklore to your door!

First of all, thank you all for the support of our campaign! In the first two days, over 1,700 backers have trusted us to deliver them another beautifully illustrated book on the folklore and magic of the natural world. Together we have raised over $150,000 for Zoologist's Primer: Birds and unlocked several stretch goals, including the first round of donations to a bird conservation charity!

And there's still 26 days to go! 🐦‍⬛💖

That also means, there's one day left for you to get a special Early Bird hummingbird pin!

Still not convinced? Read the lovely review from What Board Game! ✨

Unlocked Stretch Goals

Thanks to our Backers, we have secured a paycheck for our science editor, Lauren Cipollo. Lauren is a zookeeper, writer and a game designer, and her expertise will ensure that the book is polished to its shiniest form.

We also unlocked some physical add-ons! The poster with 100 bird illustrations can now join your collection from the previous three books. As always, on the reverse, you'll be able to generate new fantastical birds on the fly! There's also a notebook for all your doodling needs, with plenty of space for your bird field observations and keeping track of your birding life list! This morning (time zones might vary) we've also unlocked a brand-new bird-themed adventure written by Jakub. It's general theme can be summarized as "adventures in augury," but you'll have to wait a moment still for a full introduction, as we're still tweaking the story and mechanics!

We'll be also adding everybody's favorite ribbon bookmark, and...

We're Supporting Charities!

After we reached $100,000, we'll be sending the first round of donations to a bird conservation charity of your choice. Every backer has the right to vote for their champion. Voting closes in less about a day—cast your vote here!

How's the Work Going?

Honestly, the last couple of years have not been kind to us. On top of my pre-existing rheumatoid arthritis, I've been also diagnosed with thyroid problems and fibromyalgia. All together, a trifecta of chronic pain and fatigue. On top of that, we've had to handle a plethora of family issues about which I shall not be talking on the internet, for other people's privacy.

Through this time, working on these books (finishing Mycologist's Primer and writing the bird book) was a shining star of hope and joy. We've been regularly sharing progress on both with our Patrons on Patreon. If you're there, you've already read almost a quarter of the bird entries; every month, we add more!

The art is nearly complete, and so is the research. The actual writing is obviously slightly behind, as both of those need to come before putting the words to the page. We are striving to have the book complete by the end of August 2026, and out in the world in the summer 2027! 📦

How You Can Help

If you haven't backed the campaign yet and have means to do so, please consider doing it. These books each take good two years to research, write, and illustrate—which means your support is what allows us to create them.

Regardless, what makes the biggest difference is telling other people about this project. Please share it with your friends, fellow birders, your gaming table, neighborhood witch, and that auntie who is really into coffee table books. It'll cost you nothing but a few minutes, and will bring joy to the authors and the future readers alike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjC-Eb5xqEY