Wingspan Online Game Commentary #3

 Starting Birds, Food, and Bonus

Birds

• Bonelli's Eagle (high points, for birds w/ tucked card round end goal)
• Northern Gannet (for potential points while drawing birds, nest for round end goal)
• Red Crossbill (gain more food)

Food: Wheat for Red Crossbill and Fish for Northern Gannet

Bonus Card: Visionary Leader - Birds in your hand at end of game (I find the Citizen Scientist hard to max, although the birds that came up in just Round 1 would have made that a better choice and tucking instead of keeping cards would have been probably led to higher score)

Round 1

1. Draw Birds - Yellow-Headed Blackbird (get eggs while drawing cards, get further in wetlands to get more cards for bonus card)
2. Gain Food - Wheat from bird feeder (for Red Crossbill)
3. Play Bird - Red Crossbill in Woodlands
4. Gain Food - Worm from bird feeder, Wheat from Red Crossbill power (for Yellow-Headed Blackbird)
5. Gain Food - Fish from bird feeder, Wheat from Red Crossbill power (for Northern Gannet)
6. Play Bird - Northern Gannet in Wetlands (to get egg in right nest for round end goal) 
7. Lay Eggs - One on Northern Gannet for round end goal (also, gained wheat from other player's Common Nightingale)
8. Play Bird - Yellow-Headed Blackbird (also, gained rat from other player's Common Nightingale)

Round End: none

Round End Goal - Birds w/ Egg in Cluster Nest: 0 points (tied for 2nd w/ 1 bird) 

Round 2

1. Draw Birds - Cooper's Hawk and Ring-Billed Gull (had food for both, round end goal matches), skipped tucking card for egg, Northern Gannet unsuccessful w/ 2 dice
2. Draw Birds - Red Knot and Carolina Chickadee (bonus and card), tucked Carolina Chickadee for egg on Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Northern Gannet successful w/ 2 dice (1 fish cached)
3. Play Bird - Cooper's Hawk in Woodlands
4. Play Bird - Ring-Billed Gull in Wetlands (also, gained fish from other player's Common Nightingale)
5. Draw Birds - Short-Toed Treecreeper and Fish Crow, tucked Short-Toed Treecreeper w/ Ring-Billed Gull's power and drew Moltoni's Warbler, tucked Moltoni's Warbler for egg on Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Northern Gannet unsuccessful w/ 1 die  (also, gained fish from other player's Common Nightingale)
6. Play Bird - Fish Crow in Grasslands
7. Draw Birds - Sandhill Crane and Cetti's Warbler, tucked Cetti's Warbler w/ Ring-Billed Gull's power and drew Eurasian Green Woodpecker, tucked Eurasian Green Woodpecker for egg on Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Northern Gannet unsuccessful w/ 1 die

Round End: none

Round End Goal - Total Birds: 2 points (2nd w/ 6 birds)

Round 3

1. Gain Food - 2 Wheat from bird feeder (for Sandhill Crane), Cooper's Hawk unsuccessful, Wheat from Red Crossbill power (also, gained berry from other player's Common Nightingale)
2. Gain Food - 2 Worm from bird feeder (for Red Knot), Cooper's Hawk unsuccessful, Wheat from Red Crossbill power
3. Play Bird - Sandhill Crane in Wetlands
4. Draw Birds - Bald Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, and Common Loon, discarded Wheat to tuck 2 under Sandhill Crane, tucked Common Loon w/ Ring-Billed Gull's power and drew Mountain Chickadee, tucked Bald Eagle for egg on Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Northern Gannet unsuccessful w/ 4 dice (also, gained Worm from other player's Scissor-tailed Flycatcher)
5. Draw Birds - Chimney Swift, Montagu's Harrier, and Northern Shoveler, discarded Wheat to tuck 2 under Sandhill Crane, tucked Northern Shoveler w/ Ring-Billed Gull's power and drew Steller's Jay, tucked Mountain Chickadee for egg on Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Northern Gannet unsuccessful w/ 4 dice (also, gained rat from other player's Common Nightingale)
6. Play Bird - Bonelli's Eagle in Grasslands using Rat and 2 Birds (also, gained Wheat from other player's Common Nightingale and berry from Black-Chinned Hummingbird)

Round End: none

Round End Goal - Birds w/ Tucked Cards: 4 points (tied for 1st w/ 4 birds)

Round 4

1. Draw Birds - Red Kite, Common Merganser, and Canvasback, discarded Wheat to tuck 2 under Sandhill Crane, tucked Canvasback w/ Ring-Billed Gull's power and drew White-Throated Dipper, tucked White-Throated Dipper for egg on Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Northern Gannet successful w/ 3 dice (1 fish cached)
2. Play Bird - Red Knot in Wetlands (Bird Feeder bonus card - Birds that eat Wheat, kept Pileated Woodpecker)
3. Gain Food - 2 Wheat from bird feeder (for Sandhill Crane), Cooper's Hawk successful (bird tucked), Wheat from Red Crossbill power
4. Draw Birds - 3 birds, discarded Wheat to tuck 2 under Sandhill Crane, tucked bird w/ Ring-Billed Gull's power and drew bird, tucked ? for egg on Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Northern Gannet unsuccessful w/ 2 dice (no longer cared about birds drawn and just tucking for most points per turn at this point and also maxing Visionary Leader bonus card)
5. Draw Birds - 3 birds, discarded Wheat to tuck 2 under Sandhill Crane, tucked bird w/ Ring-Billed Gull's power and drew bird, tucked ? for egg on Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Northern Gannet unsuccessful w/ 2 dice

Round End: none

Round End Goal - Birds in Woodlands: 3 points (3rd w/ 3 birds)

Game End - Lost

Final Score - 96

• Bird Points - 48
• Bonus Cards - 7
• End of Round Goals - 9
• Eggs - 2
• Food on Cards - 2
• Tucked Cards - 28