04/22/2026
This is your invitation to participate in a fun and friendly birding contest called the North Coast Open.
This event is NOT just restricted to TNA members (most events aren’t). All birders are welcome! Especially new birders! Anyone new to birding or new to the North Coast Open and who would like to join a team can email [email protected], and we will match you up with a TNA member.
The team that identifies the most bird species in a single calendar day will be awarded the prestigious Peregrine Cup. Rather than designating a particular day for all competitors, teams this year can CHOOSE THEIR OWN DAY—anytime from May 1 to May 26, 2026 (note that the cutoff on May 26 is 5:30pm). Teams can even try it multiple times during the month, and birders are welcome to participate on more than one team during the month (though of course, each team needs to stay together on the particular day they choose).
This friendly competition is for birders of all skill levels and will cover Lucas, Ottawa, Wood, Sandusky, and Erie Counties (Ohio), plus Monroe County (Michigan). Planning a route is half the fun, and places like the Oak Openings, Magee Marsh, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, and Pickerel Creek are all part of the geography and are among the very best birding locations in the Midwest. The addition of Monroe County to the territory puts the legendary Point Mouillee and Erie Marsh in play.
There is no need to register in advance, but see the reporting requirements in the rules below:
There will be an optional countdown and presentation of the Peregrine Cup and Kestrel Award (for the top first-time NCO participant) at a cookout on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at 5:30 pm at the Kemp house, 5943 Lynwood Court, Whitehouse. If you plan to attend the cookout, please call, text, or email Matt Kemp at 419-601-9412, or [email protected].
Official Rules:
1. Field of Competition: Erie, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Wood Counties, Ohio; and Monroe County, Michigan.
2. Competition Period: One calendar day (midnight to midnight), anytime from May 1 to May 26, 2026 (note that checklists must be submitted by 5:30 pm on May 26, so the 26th would not be a full 24 hours).
3. Participants: Teams must be comprised of 2 to 5 members. Each team must create a birding pseudonym or team name that, if crowned champion, will be immortalized via engraving on the venerable Peregrine Cup. (As examples, recent past winners include “Off the Rails” and “Quick Three Beers and A Cabernet”).
4. Your List: Each individual or team will compile a team list comprising all the wild, unrestrained, non-released bird species identified (visually or aurally) within the field of competition during the competition period. Each team member must identify (visually or aurally), during the competition period and with the field of competition, every bird species on the team list (no 95% rule).
5. Reporting: Each individual or team must complete and deliver the following to Matt Kemp on or before 5:30 pm on May 26, 2026 (i.e., the time of the Countdown): (i) team name; (ii) team members; (iii) date of competition; (iv) total species identified; (v) full list of all species identified. You can send your report via email to [email protected] or show up at the Cookout at the Kemp house (see above) and hand in your list.
6. Non-participants Permitted: Competitors may be accompanied by non-participating companions, but such non-participants shall not locate or identify any birds for the competing team members. Non-participants may drive, read maps, compile checklists, make encouraging remarks, make sandwiches, etc. – anything except finding and identifying birds.
7. Recordings Prohibited: The broadcast of any recordings of bird calls or songs is prohibited during the competition. Recordings may be used as a reference, provided they are not broadcast into the environment. Human-produced sounds are permitted.
8. Please drive carefully, follow all relevant health guidelines, and otherwise conduct yourself according to the highest levels of birding ethics. Participants compete at their own risk.
