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Peregrine Falcons
In 2008, two peregrine falcon eggs were laid in the nesting box at the Weston 3
Power Plant near Wausau, Wisconsin.
For more than a decade, Wisconsin Public Service has been helping the endangered peregrine falcon.
This bird of prey is about the size of a crow and is admired for its beauty, speed and agility. Native to Wisconsin, peregrines originally nested along the Mississippi, St. Croix and Wisconsin rivers, and along the Door County peninsula. But the population withered because the chemical pesticide DDT weakened the birds' eggshells and prevented hatching. Peregrines disappeared form the entire eastern United Sates and were placed on the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1973. Although they were removed from the U.S. list in 1999, they remain on Wisconsin's endangered list.
Today, peregrines nest high atop two of the utility's electric generating units each spring. The rare birds are attracted to the units' tall stacks, their proximity to open water and the steady food supply of other birds in the area. The J.P. Pulliam Power Plant, located where the Fox River meets the bay of Green Bay, has produced 36 peregrine chicks to date. The Weston 3 Power Plant, located on the Wisconsin River near Wausau, Wisconsin, has resulted in 8 chicks.
The plants' employees have built specially designed nesting areas for the birds, and cameras allow employees to watch the laying, nesting and hatching of the eggs from the plant's lunchroom.
Local schoolchildren are encouraged to enter the annual "Name the Chicks Contest," so the entire community can share in the joyful event. When the new birds hatch, wildlife experts give them medical attention and band them, so they can be tracked throughout their life.
For more about the peregrine falcon activities, visit the Wisconsin Public Service peregrine page.