It's one of my favorite board games, probably for the same reason you hate it. What's the reason to play a board game? To give a bunch of people sitting around a table something to do while having a drink and a chat. Bird game is great for that; it's got stuff to talk about and to think about, but it doesn't swallow up the whole conversation like Pandemic would.

The compelling reason to rack up points, if you're playing seriously, is to see if your engine works --- just like Race For The Galaxy, or games like that.