Young Peregrine Falcons Ready to Leave Home
Madison, Wis., June 17, 2010—Four peregrine falcons born in May atop Madison Gas and Electric's (MGE) Blount Street power plant are fledged and ready to leave the nest. This marks the second consecutive year falcons have nested and produced young at the site.
This year's brood received tracking leg bands and had blood samples drawn in order to more accurately monitor their travels and identify their DNA.
The birds are expected to stay close to the nest for another month, after which their travels could take them more than 1,000 miles away for the winter. Adult falcons will often return to their nesting place if a steady food supply exists.
After near extinction in Wisconsin, a nesting pair of falcons raised three offspring last year in a specially built box placed near the top of the power plant in 1999. The nesting pair were the first recorded in the Madison area in over a decade.
For video clips tracking the birds in the nesting box, go to mge.com/falcon.
MGE generates and distributes electricity to 138,000 customers in Dane County, Wis., and purchases and distributes natural gas to 142,000 customers in seven south-central and western Wisconsin counties. The company's roots in the Madison area date back more than 150 years.
