MGE’s 2022 Peregrine Falcon Chicks Named and Banded

Names celebrate the return of the iconic Concerts on the Square to the Capitol Square.
 
The 2022 MGE peregrine falcons: Maestro, Presto, Sonata and Harmony.

About the MGE Falcons

  • Trudy laid four eggs in April. They hatched in May.
  • The chicks are named Harmony, Maestro, Presto and Sonata.
  • Fifty-three MGE falcon chicks have hatched since 2009.
  • MGE first installed the nesting box in 1999. Falcons prefer power plants and other tall buildings for nesting.
Madison, Wis., June 7, 2022—Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) today announced the names of four peregrine falcons that hatched in the nesting box on top of its downtown Madison Blount Generating Station in May.
 
This year's chicks have names that help celebrate the return of one of Madison's favorite community events—the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra's Concerts on the Square to the Capitol Square. As your community energy company, MGE is proud to partner with the many local organizations that help provide rich cultural experiences for our community.
 
Wisconsin peregrine falcon expert Greg Septon banded the chicks at Blount yesterday afternoon. The bands allow experts to track the birds throughout their lifetimes.
 
Harmony, a female, was named for the musical effect of combining different pitches simultaneously to make beautiful music.
 
Maestro, a female, was given a moniker reserved for distinguished musical artists, including composers, conductors or performers.
 
Presto, a male, is named after playing music at a very fast tempo. In Italian, it means "quickly." Peregrine falcons are the fastest animals on earth reaching speeds up to 200 miles per hour.
 
Sonata, a female, was named after a composition for solo piano or other instruments, usually consisting of three or four movements that vary in key, mood and tempo.
 
Trudy, the female falcon, laid her four eggs in April. This is the eighth year Trudy and her mate, Melvin, have returned together and laid their eggs in the MGE nesting box. They have been busy feeding the chicks that hatched in May. The chicks will learn how to fly soon and eventually leave the nesting box.

Fifty-three falcon chicks have hatched at Blount since 2009 when the birds first began nesting at the power plant. MGE installed the nesting box in 1999. Falcons prefer power plants and other tall buildings as nesting sites.

The peregrine falcon is listed as endangered in Wisconsin. Due to pesticide use in the 1960s, peregrines were declared extinct in the state. Falcons were reintroduced in the 1980s and have made a slow, steady comeback due to statewide efforts and nesting boxes like the one at Blount.

For more information on MGE's falcons, please visit mge.com/falcons. Visit MGE's YouTube channel to watch a video of the falcon chicks being banded.
 
About MGE
MGE generates and distributes electricity to 159,000 customers in Dane County, Wisconsin, and purchases and distributes natural gas to 169,000 customers in seven south-central and western Wisconsin counties. MGE's parent company is MGE Energy, Inc. The company's roots in the Madison area date back more than 150 years.

 

Steve Schultz - Corporate Communications Manager
Madison Gas and Electric
608-252-7219 | sbschultz@mge.com