Angry Birds Summer Pignic was the first game in the Seasons series that had not been released in line with a holiday. At the time of release, the Seasons game had a Halloween, Christmas, Valentines, St Patricks and an Easter game, but nothing to celebrate a season even though Christmas and Easter obviously to some point represented Winter and Spring respectively.

Released on all platforms on the 21^st June 2011, which was summer solstice (the longest day), the game worked in the same way as the Christmas version (angry birds seasons greedings) with 30 different levels that could be played as each day passed rather than when you finished the last level. This meant that by rights if the game was downloaded after the 21^st July 2011, then the levels could be played from 30 to 1 rather than the other way around. With this being said, the game did keep to its increasing level of difficulty system that had been used on all the previous games.

Facebook Campaign

This was the first game that was announced on Facebook rather than in the press, on the developer’s website or at a gaming convention. The reasoning for this is simple, at the moment Angry Birds has over 10 million followers on Facebook. This meant that reaching these 10 million self-professed fans of the game via Facebook was much easier and cheaper than any other way.

Merchandise and Branding

By this time, Angry Birds had a successful string of games. In fact, based on the amount of copies downloaded it was the most played game in the world by a long way. If you combined the sales figures of Gran Turismo 5 on the PS3, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas on the PS2, Gran Turismo on the PS1, Nintendogs on the DS, all the Pokémon games on the Game Boy Advance, Tetris on the original Gameboy, Mario Kart on the Wii and Halo 3 on the X Box, then you would still need to times that number by three to reach the number of times Angry Birds had been downloaded.

These figures showed that there was a large market for Angry Birds. This meant that if other Angry Birds items were released, then they would probably be a success. This is the main reason why merchandise started to retail at this point.

This game was one of the biggest games around because of the way it was announced and the amount of levels that were available. Furthermore, due to the release of official merchandise, this game retailed more copies than expected because the merchandise was causing people to talk about the game.

To celebrate the popular Irish tradition, Rovio (the developers of Angry Birds) released St Patricks Day – Go Green Get Lucky. The game was released as an extension of the Season’s game and followed on from Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

Game Differences

As expected, the game did not make any major structural changes. Furthermore, the things that did change were all necessities. For example, there was now an Irish themed background, which included lots of clovers, hills and rather ironically a sunset! In addition, the special point obstacles had been changed from boxes of candy in the Valentine’s Day edition to pots of gold in this one. Striking a pot of gold would give you 3000 points.

Of course, the main addition to the game was the 15 new themed levels. Furthermore, three additional levels could be unlocked if the player liked the game on Facebook. This is a marketing strategy that has been done on past games and has since been performed on newer releases.

Another change was the replacement of the music. This version unsurprisingly decided to use an Irish jaunty jig rather than the ‘soppy’ song that had been used in the Valentine’s Day game.

Reception

As the series of games were probably at the most popular they had ever been, the reality was that this game could have been a complete flop, and it still would have retailed millions. However, this was not the case, and the game actually brought 15 very challenging and carefully thought out levels. This instantly made the game a huge success and further improved the Seasons game.

With this game Rovio had not planned on making a game that would be genre defining. Instead, their changes were minor, and they stuck to what they knew, which, in reality, was enough for the fans of the series, considering that Rio had been released not too long ago. This made this game a success.

In order to celebrate the Chinese mid-autumn festival, Angry Birds released their seventh game in the Seasons series, Mooncake Festival. Released in September 2011, the game showed more promise than previous updates simply because it came with additional levels when compared to Seasons Greedings, Hogs and Kisses, Go Green Get Lucky, Easter Eggs and Summer Pignic.

Game Developments

As mentioned, the main change was that against the majority of other season games (you can find links to play the seasons packs online @ chrome birds), Mooncake Festival had double the amount of levels. This game had 30 levels and three additional ones that could be unlocked by liking the game on Facebook.

As with all the Season games, Mooncake Festival changed its background and the music as well in order to make it more oriental. This meant that there was now a rather relaxing background with slow passing clouds through rolling hills. Furthermore, the music was given an oriental twist. In addition, the objects that you had to overcome and the items used as defence by the green pigs had changed. These pigs now held paper fans and wore straw hats, which both acted as a defence.

As the first country-specific game in Seasons, Angry Birds decided to change the Golden Eggs to Golden Moon cakes. These Golden Mooncakes serve the same purpose as the Golden Eggs in previous games, which means that as well as the 33 levels, there are eight pieces of Mooncake, which when collected unlock another bonus level.

The addition of Mooncake Festival further increased the popularity of the series all across the world. The reception of the game was mostly positive as players liked the structure of the majority of the levels, which clearly showed that developers had put some level of thought into producing the new characteristics for this game.

Even if your garden is merely a small plot of greenland in the city centre, it is still capable of attracting birds. Consider it as a comfortable sanctuary amongst the solid desert, offering somewhere to stay, food, and in a lot of incidences a place to nest too.

You are able to multiply the number and range of birds that come to your garden if you make it really ‘bird-friendly’. For example, by supplying bird tables, birdbaths and nest boxes, and also, by attempting to keep away unwanted guests like cats and squirrels.

At the beginning of spring, birds like House Sparrows search for bits and pieces to create their nests with. In towns and cities there might be enough supply of these, however, you can assist by supplying substitute resources like wool or hair.

Harsh winter climates regularly drive birds to find shelter in inner city gardens, where there is a definite supply of food and water that could make the difference between life and death. In addition to greater numbers of the frequent species, your gardens might entertain odd guests, like Coal Tit, woodpeckers or this Nun hatch. If harsh temperatures continue, these birds might stay in the garden for quite a long time as long as they have a continuous supply of food and water.

Throughout long-lasting spells of bitterly cold temperatures, water birds like Moorhen, Water Rail or Snipe will sporadically come to your gardens. The Snipe primarily eats worms, utilising its long beak to investigate deeply into the firm soil.

Scarcer guests might arrive in frequently too. If you spot a rare bird in your garden, contact the RSPB or the Bird Information Service; they will be able to tell you if it’s as scare as the Yellow-rumped Warbler which dropped in on a Devon bird table one winter. This was the first time that this North American bird was ever spotted in Europe.

The Ring-necked Parakeet’s origin is Asia, and they were freed by cage bird sellers in the 1960’s and 1970’s. From that time they have created flourishing populations in various locations of southeast England, and are regular guests to residential gardens. They are particularly eager on fruit trees in these gardens. Their bright green feathers, elongated tail, and distinguishing screaming call are instantly recognisable.

Each autumn, scarce nomads from Siberia appear in tiny numbers on the eastern coast, hundreds and hundreds of miles away from their planned journeys end point. The majority die very early, and a small number travel centrally, where they occasionally arrive in gardens. Moderate temperatures might let birds similar to this Yellow-browed Warbler to continue to exist in the winter, particularly in the more sheltered areas of southwest England.

Hoopoes are scarce although they frequently visit the British Isles, and might be spotted on garden lawns infrequently, particularly in southern England. They are roughly the size of a Mistle Thrush, although they have a bright pinkish feather, black and white wings and a visible crest. Be careful of not confusing it with the Jay, which could look very pink when spotted on the grounds, however, its beak is a lot shorter and it does not have a crest.

If you want to take part in the project, and become a ‘Citizen Scientist’, get in touch with the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch Team. There is a yearly subsidy of £15 to cover admin charges; however, members receive a quarterly magazine including articles and the latest survey results, access to garden bird expertise and deals on the latest BTO publications, in return.

The rate that diverse species are documented changes each season, with a noticeable dip in autumn in garden usage. This dip covers the time when plenty of birds are feeding in the wider countryside, or become less apparent as they go through their yearly shed.

The survey has also divulged interesting information about certain unfamiliar garden guests. The survey has logged a rise in use of gardens by Siskins, which is a species that has profited from the launch of conifer cultivated areas. BTO surveys have logged this rise since the 1970’s; during this period, this gorgeous species was just documented in 7% of gardens. Nowadays it is logged yearly in 19% of gardens that take part in Garden BirdWatch; the peak in garden usage comes at the beginning of January. Additionally, a rise in the number of gardens situated near to ripe conifer cultivated areas has Siskins stopping throughout the summer months, with their offspring.

Percentage of Garden Bird Survey (1995-2008): Species Most Frequently Noted

Glance out of the window into your garden, and you are likely to see some birds. They might be habitual guests, like Blue Tits, Blackbirds or Robins. Alternatively they might be strange, and awkward to recognise. Therefore, what do you do from here? The first thing to do is purchase a dependable pair of binoculars? They enable you to watch birds short of being seen, at intimate proximity, starting an entirely new world of hobbies.

It is worthwhile writing a log of the birds that visit your garden too. Write down the diverse species that you observe, in addition to maintaining records of: date, time, day, and the number of birds present. This will assist you discover which species often enter your garden, and which are more temporary guests.

Note down information of a bird, particularly if you observe something strange connected to size, feather info and behaviour. It is crucial to include as much detail as you can because birds might only stay for a few moments prior to flying away.

Whether you stay in the hub of the countryside, or the city centre, your gardens will appeal to birds. In fact, one of the utmost desires of having a garden is observing the birds that visit.

In modern days, masses of individuals have realised the pleasures of studying bird behaviour at close proximity. Although, it’s not just human beings that gain advantages – gardens are essential for the happiness and existence of birds also.

Britain’s gardens cover over a quarter of a million hectares, which means they are one of our most treasured bird habitations. In the spring, and summer, tree bushes and artificial nest sites make available a variety of places for birds to nest and raise their brood. In the winter, your garden can become a crucial refugee for birds, particularly if you habitually provide food and water. Throughout persistent cold periods, this tends to make the contrast between life and death, especially for tinier varieties.

On this site we hope to give you a good look into the sorts of birds that can visit your garden!

This article will allow you to recognise diverse species.