We Energies Oak Creek falcon chicks named, banded

OAK CREEK, Wis. - Three peregrine falcon chicks at We Energies' Oak Creek Power Plant were officially named and banded Tuesday, May 16.

Ollie, Bucky and Ember – named after a fan vote contest – are the first Wisconsin chicks of the season to be named and banded.

"Every one of these peregrines has a different personality," said Greg Septon, falcon manager.

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The family of endangered birds made the Oak Creek Power Plant their home.

"Peregrines are very much attracted to these tall buildings, these prominent buildings on the landscape," Septon said.

We Energies Oak Creek Power Plant peregrine falcon chicks Ollie, Bucky and Ember.

While people watched the chicks grow from We Energies' Nest Cam, they were named and banded in front of news cams.

"Some of the birds that are lost, we find. With the band numbers we identify them," said Septon.

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Peregrine falcons have been marked as endangered for more than half a decade. Working alongside We Energies, Septon has made progress in that.

"I’ve liked peregrines since I was a kid. In high school I used to dream about bringing them back," he said.

"This is our 31st year at one of our power plants. About 20% of all the peregrine falcons, currently in existence (in Wisconsin), were born at one of our power plants," said We Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway.

The banding allows them to track the birds around the world.

"We had a peregrine from Menasha just a few years ago, that was found in downtown Venezeula, so they can travel great distances," Septon said. "Without the banding, we’d never know any of this."

The chicks were named in honor of several college mascots. We Energies will name and band a handful of other chicks in the coming weeks.