Valley, Port Washington chicks get names, bands

Veterans named the four male chicks at Port Washington.

Four peregrine falcon chicks were banded today at Port Washington Generating Station, our second banding event of the season. 
Local veterans were guests of honor at the banding.

Nine WWII vets from Stars and Stripes Honor Flight attended the event and helped choose names for the falcon chicks. Veterans and their families named them Gasco, Bucky, Lightning and Griff. Griff was submitted by veteran Gene Schulz, who chose the name in honor of his former WWII Colonel who died in battle. 

Rocket and Wildcat at banding.

Valley Power Plant in Milwaukee hosted our first falcon banding of the season last Friday. Students from Cedar Grove – Belgium Middle School visited the plant to see peregrine manager Greg Septon band (tag) two peregrine chicks recently born at the plant. The students picked the birds’ names – Rocket and Wildcat. 

Oak Creek and Pleasant Prairie power plant falcon chicks likely will be banded next week.

Chicks remain in their nest boxes about three weeks after banding. Then they fledge -- take their first flights. You can watch the falcons on our webcams at www.we-energies.com/falcons.

Recent TV stories related to banding:
Fox6
CBS58
WISN12

Port Washington falcons growing fast

Here's a clip captured today of the chicks in our Port Washington Power Plant nest box. They're growing fast. These chicks were born at the end of April and will be banded next week.

The chicks at Oak Creek and Pleasant Prairie nest boxes are not far behind.

See live video of chicks at our Pleasant Prairie and Oak Creek nest boxes

Falcon chicks hatch at Oak Creek Power Plant

The four peregrine falcon eggs in the nest box at our Oak Creek Power Plant hatched over the weekend. Early Saturday, the first two eggs hatched. A third chick hatched on Sunday. The final chick hatched this morning. Check our webcam at www.we-energies.com/falcons.

Peregrine Manager Greg Septon will place identification bands on the birds when they are approximately three weeks old. Students from nearby Deerfield Elementary School will visit the power plant to attend the banding. Fox 6 Real Milwaukee also is expected to broadcast live from the banding event. Real Milwaukee viewers have been encouraged to submit names for the chicks through an online naming contest.

The Oak Creek nesting site has been active since 1998, producing an average of three young each year. With the addition of this year’s hatchlings, the total number of peregrines produced at Oak Creek reaches 50. All told, nearly 20 percent of the state’s peregrine population have been produced at We Energies facilities – pretty remarkable when considering the bird was nearly extinct 30 years ago.

Video of three chicks being fed on May 5

Chicks hatch at 2 sites, others expected soon

Three chicks hatched April 29 at Port Washington Generating Station and two others April 26 at Valley Power Plant. Eggs also are expected to hatch within days at our Oak Creek and Pleasant Prairie power plants, where nest box cameras are capturing the activity through live streaming video. Visit we-energies.com/falcons to watch.

Eggs now present at all 6 sites

Eggs have been laid at all six of our power plant sites – for the first time ever. We were keeping a close eye on our Milwaukee County Power Plant especially. The nest box there was installed in 2007, but this is the first time peregrines have produced eggs in it. If all goes well, three chicks will arrive sometime between May 26-28.

Meanwhile, we could see chicks very soon at a couple of our other sites. Eggs at our Valley and Port Washington plants could hatch any day. Keep a close eye on all of our sites through our webcams at www.we-energies.com/falcons.

Here are the estimated hatch dates for each of our sites:
Valley Power Plant: April 22-24
Port Washington Generating Station: April 26-28
Oak Creek Power Plant: May 2-4
Pleasant Prairie Power Plant: May 5-7
Presque Isle Power Plant: May 18-20
Milwaukee County Power Plant: May 26-28

Incubation underway at 4 of 6 sites

Eggs have been laid at four of our six sites and things are looking promising for the remaining two – Milwaukee County Power Plant and Presque Isle Power Plant.

Following are egg-laying and estimated hatch dates for those sites with eggs, and a few notes on those where we’re still hopeful and patiently waiting.

Valley Power Plant 
Eggs laid: 2 between March 16-18
Estimated hatch dates: April 22-24

Port Washington Generating Station
Eggs laid: 4 between March 19-27
Estimated hatch dates: April 26-28 

Oak Creek Power Plant
Eggs laid: 4 between March 26-April 2 

Estimated hatch dates: May 2-4

Adult pair of peregrines at Oak Creek shortly 
after their first egg was laid on March 26.

Pleasant Prairie Power Plant
Eggs laid: 4 between March 28-April 6
Estimated hatch dates: May 5-7

Milwaukee County Power Plant
A quick update: The same adult pair is still present.
Male: Polyo (b/g) E/65
Female: (b/r) 47/X

(b/r) 47/X at the nest box. Over the past two weeks, 
she’s been becoming more comfortable with her 
new surroundings.

The pair has been seen at the nest box nearly every day and there is an increased amount of down feathers on the deck, which is a sign of regular activity. At 11:26 on April 5, Polyo brought in a fresh kill and transferred it to the female who was in the nest box. She then flew off to dine at some undisclosed location. The pair also has been seen in the nest box together displaying, so things are looking encouraging.

Scanning the inside of the nest box after dusk (when the falcons aren't present), has shown no scrape and no eggs so far. This is likely the first nesting attempt for the new female, so if she nests, it will be later rather than earlier in the season.

Presque Isle Power Plant
With its more northern Michigan location, nesting will be later here than at the Wisconsin sites. The adult male has been at the nest box regularly, and a scrape has been made. Although a female has been seen on a number of occasions, she has not been present as much lately. Last year, four eggs were laid between April 7-16, so if we’re going to see eggs this year from the same female (if she’s still around), it should be soon. There was snow in Marquette on the morning of April 8.

Cedar Grove-Belgium students learn about our falcons

Fifth graders at Cedar Grove-Belgium Middle School learned all about our peregrine falcons April 8 when Peregrine Manager Greg Septon paid a visit to the school.

About 100 students listened to Septon's presentation.

Septon spoke to about 100 students, teaching them about the harmful effects that pesticides had on the peregrine population in the 1950s and '60s. We made a concerted effort to bring the bird back by installing nest boxes at our power plants. The birds have taken to these man-made “cliffs.” Since 1992, about 20 percent of the state’s peregrine population has been hatched at our facilities.

The peregrine falcons are near and dear to the students at Cedar Grove-Belgium Middle School. Students have learned about our falcon recovery effort during their science classes. They are able to follow the activity in our nest boxes through the falcon cams on our website. Students were so inspired they decided to get involved in the Peregrine Fund and the American Kestrel Partnership. Students constructed and installed kestrel nest boxes on their school campus. They report their observations to the Peregrine Fund through their citizen scientist website.

A kestrel nestbox constructed

by students at their school.

Students soon will see their classroom instruction come full circle when they visit our Valley Power Plant in Milwaukee to see this year’s peregrine chicks get their identification bands. The tags help researchers like Septon track the birds to monitor the continued recovery of the peregrine population.