Date: 1/12/26 12:13 pm From: Jonathan Feenstra via groups.io <feenstra...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] CA Aqueduct Big day 2026
Birders:
Next Monday, 1/19/26, is the "California Aqueduct Big Day," an annual survey of all birds using the California Aqueduct across the Antelope Valley from the I-5 to Hesperia. My rough calculation from Google Earth puts the Aqueduct through the Antelope Valley at approximately 100 miles long with a total surface area of about 950 acres, making it a major body of water in the area, and the only open water for miles in some areas. Perhaps with the exception of the inlet of Quail Lake, the Aqueduct and its 60-something road crossings get very little coverage - the only other checklists at each crossing are usually just from previous Aqueduct Big Days. So, that's where you all come in. We could use a few more volunteer surveyors.
Ideally, you'd be willing to hike the bank for about 6 miles (less if I can muster more volunteers), but after several years of doing this, we've found that's about what a birder can comfortably walk in a morning. For example, for the past several years, Naresh Satyan and I hiked from 300th Street West to 170th Street West leaving a car in the middle. With enough people (14 walkers, to be exact) we should be able to do something similar for the entire thing. Please let me know (reply to me directly, not to the listserve) if you're interested and where you'd be most interested to walk (no guarantees that you'll get it, but it gives me an idea).
