Labor Day Weekend is the Cy-Hawk Big Day Challenge. It’s the Iowa City Hawkeyes (Iowa City Bird Club) vs. Ames Cyclones (Big Bluestem Audubon Society), in a competition to find the most bird species.  Birders from across Iowa can participate with either team in the designated area. Last year BBAS found a whopping 142 species to ICBC’s tally of 127.  This year organizers have expanded to a three-day event with lots of flexibility for participation.  Pick one calendar day of Sept. 3, 4, or 5.  Pick a birding group of friends or go individually.  Pick your own route within these counties:  Johnson, Linn, Louisa, Des Moines and Lee. Cyclone counties are Polk, Greene, Boone, Story, and Jasper.  Our Hawkeye strategy will be to coordinate our locations to cover as much area as possible.  So please register ahead with your name(s) and desired locations, or ask Chris if you want location suggestions. Competition rules and more information can be found here: https://iowacitybirdclub.org/cy-hawk-challenge/.  Each participant is asked to donate $5 or more to support the bird conservation programs of Iowa Audubon. Register with Iowa City Bird Club ASAP with Chris Edwards at credwards@aol.com (preferred) or by phone/text at 319-430-4732.  To register with Big Bluestem Audubon Society contact Eric Ollie at uphawkeye@gmail.com. Go Hawks!