About the challenge
Welcome to the Utah County Birders 2026 Challenge — a simple, community-driven way to bird more intentionally this year. Log birds you see in each county, work toward the UC BIRDERS letter goals, and watch the leaderboard evolve as more people join.
You can play casually (just log what you see) or go full quest-mode and try to complete every county and every letter. Either way, you’ll end the year with a richer birding story.
Participants who complete the challenge will be recognized by Utah County Birders with certificates, prizes at a community awards dinner held in January 2027.
Join & Leaderboard
Join the Challenge
Log your birds, track progress by county, and earn your way through the UC BIRDERS letters.
View the Leaderboard
See current rankings and how the community is doing overall.
Printable Tracking Sheet
Prefer to play offline? Download the printable UC Birders tracking sheet and color in your progress as you complete the challenge.
How it works
This challenge is tracked with three stats: birds logged, counties completed, and letters completed. Your rank is based on letters first, then counties, then total birds.
Birds Logged
Log unique species in each county. Each county has its own list of birds you’ve recorded.
Counties Completed
Complete a county by reaching the county goal for species logged.
Letters Completed
Earn letters by completing the specific letter goals (the UC BIRDERS set).
The app keeps your progress automatically — you just log what you see.
Rules
1) Be honest. Log birds you personally observed.
2) One species counts once per county. If you see the same species again in the same county, enjoy the moment — but it won’t increase your count.
🏅 Gold — Complete all UC BIRDERS letters.
🥈 Silver — Complete 7 letters.
🥉 Bronze — Complete 5 letters.
3) You can log sightings retroactively if you’re confident about the county and the species.
4) Be kind. This is a community challenge — help beginners, share tips, and celebrate wins.
Everyone is invited to the Utah County Birders awards dinner in January 2027, where certificates and prizes will be presented.