Important takeaways
- A Stardew Valley fan has created a concept for a birdwatching hideout featuring 10 species of birds native to the UK.
- The community shows interest in birding and suggests potential game mechanics to incorporate the concept.
- An official update for birdwatching in Stardew Valley seems unlikely, but it could be introduced through mods in the future.
A cunning one Stardew Valley the player has used images found online to create a concept for an in-game hide and seek for bird watching, as well as adding multiple bird sprites bundled together for an amazing viewing experience. While the idea is just a concept, Stardew Valley community seems excited about it, with hopes that it will one day be added to the game as a mod or otherwise.
The cozy farming town of sim has seen many updates during its eight-year run, including the addition of several animals. There are many species of birds in the game, including Emily's pet parrot, the egg-laying ostriches Stardew Valley in version 1.5, and the golden Joja parrot on Ginger Island. Still, the birds don't play much of a role in the game despite its themes of living in harmony with nature.
That may be one reason why Reddit user peakys created the image of a birdwatching hide on the north end of the river that runs south of the players' farms. The idea for the hideout came after the player visited the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' Ham Wall and Avalon Marshes in the UK, and the image they shared includes 10 different bird species all native to the UK, including a tawny owl, blackbird, kingfisher and cormorant. There are currently none Stardew Valley mod associated with the image, and the creator doesn't even own the PC version of the game. Instead, they found sprite sheets online and used more than 100 layers in Photoshop to set the scene.
Stardew Valley fans want bird watching added to the game
Despite the creator having no real knowledge of how to create mods, several people commented that they would like to see bird watching added to the game. Although the image doesn't give a clear indicator of how it would work in-game, one fan suggested that players could purchase and place certain buildings around the natural areas of the valley that would change the surroundings by causing different animals to spawn near them. There are already some other interactions with animals in the game, such as Stardew Valley's Trash Bear that appears in Year 3 and cleans up trash and sewer runoff in the valley after the player gives it the gifts it requests, so more bird interactions don't seem out of the question.
It seems highly unlikely that bird watching or any other activity will come to the game in an official update anytime soon. Creator ConcernedApe is still trying to get Stardew Valley 1.6 is running on consoles and mobile after launching the massive update on PC all the way back in March, and he also has his next game, Haunted Chocolatesto finish. Still, for players on PC, there is at least one popular mod already available, titled Bird Overhaul – Ornithologist's Guild on Nexus Mods, which includes seasonal bird visits, birdbaths, feeders, and nests.