Southern
Africa birding in a box
Review
by Johan Rothmann – 18 March 2020
I have reviewed several birding books in the past. Always with the hope in the back of my mind, that my direct family, children and grand-children, will also improve their birding knowledge by reading these books. With the review of the Bird Safari Board Game, I know they will - and they will have real fun in doing so.
I have reviewed several birding books in the past. Always with the hope in the back of my mind, that my direct family, children and grand-children, will also improve their birding knowledge by reading these books. With the review of the Bird Safari Board Game, I know they will - and they will have real fun in doing so.
Bird
Safari is a simple board game played by two or more teams of two
people.
Like
most board games, the goal is to move your pawn (in this case a small
4x4 toy vehicle) by the throw of a dice along a start-to-finish path
filled with landing circles. The first team that reaches the finish
line is the winner.
Along
the way, teams have to identify birds that are depicted with high
quality photos on 300 different cards, each representing one bird
from Southern Africa. Three types of identification are possible,
depending on what type of circle you land on the start-to-finish
path:
1.
Identify by looking at the photo of the bird
2.
Identify according to the description of the bird from your team mate
3.
Identify by listening to the bird sound played by your teammate from
a smartphone app (not included in the game).
The bird cards are categorised into 4 levels: level 1 is for novices and includes birds such as Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Hadeda Ibis, Fork-tailed Drongo, Cape Crow. Level 4 is aimed at more experienced birders and includes birds such as Karoo Korhaan, Red-capped Lark, African Pipit, Thrush Nightingale, Sand Martin, Caspian Plover. You can decide to play the game with a specific level only, or you can mix all levels together.
The
bird names are in both English and Afrikaans on the back of the bird
cards, correctly according to BirdLife
South Africa’s Checklist of Birds in South Africa.
Threatened and endemic species are indicated with a special mark on
the front of the card.
The
game itself is simple and flexible. It allows you to adjust the rules
to suit the participants. For example: decide how scientifically
correct the answers must be; should answers be in both English and
Afrikaans; award points based on the level of the bird card; are team
members allowed to consult a bird guide book; and so on.
The
goal of the game is to improve knowledge of birds for all
participants in a fun way. I saw the enthusiasm of my family members
when they played the game, and witnessed the improvement in their
bird knowledge.
Don’t
be fooled by the simplicity of the game: the 300 birds on the cards
are not all that easy. It may take a while before the winners reach
the finish line. You only advance with correct answers.
Highly
recommended for beginners from age 8 to 80+, but also a fun way for
twitchers to showcase their birding knowledge with like-minded
friends. It
is a chance for family and friends to have a fun time while learning
about Southern Africa’s most beautiful birds.
Bird
Safari is endorsed by BirdLife South Africa and a portion of the
price is going towards bird conservation.
An
interesting aspect of the board game is how it originated. A 14-year
old girl was so inspired by the movie “The Big Year” in which
birders accepted a personal challenge to identify as many bird
species as possible by sight or sound in one calendar year, that she
started her own Big Year with her South African friends and family.
After the excitement of their Big Year, the children, some still in
primary school, decided to put their bird knowledge and energy into
the making of this board game in the hope that more people will also
be inspired to become birders. The children played a major role in
the planning and development of the game.
The
game can be ordered from the Bird Safari website:
https://www.birdsafari.co.za/
It
will be dispatched from Pretoria and the delivery will be an
additional cost.
For people in the Gauteng area, the game is also available at BirdLife South Africa’s “Shop for the Birds” in Johannesburg: https://www.birdlife.org.za/support-us/blsa-shop/shop-for-the-birds/
At
the time of writing this review, plans are in progress to make it
available through TakeAlot.com, one of South Africa’s leading e-commerce retailers:
https://www.takealot.com/
https://www.takealot.com/
Contents
inside the square carton box:
One
game board; 300 bird cards; six 4x4 pawns; one dice; English and
Afrikaans rules leaflet; two card holders.
Contact
details:
Bird
Safari website: https://www.birdsafari.co.za/
E-mail:
info@birdsafari.co.za
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/birdsafarigame/
Watch
review video on Youtube at: https://youtu.be/i3aU48Qyo_4
Price
at the time of this review (March 2020): R499 including VAT