Peregrine Falcon Chicks Take First Flight At Oak Creek Power Plant

OAK CREEK, WI — Two peregrine falcon chicks that recently hatched at the We Energies power plant in Oak Creek took their first flight, the utility company announced in a news release Tuesday.

Mario and Whitney, named in honor of the debut of the video game Super Mario Kart and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," have spread their wings and taken flight. Their siblings from the same nest, Mae and Favre, are expected to head off any day now, according to We Energies.

The chicks were born to peregrine parents Michael and Essity earlier in 2022.

Mario and Whitney, and the rest of their 2022 cohorts, will spend the next few weeks learning to hunt and mastering flying skills, We Energies said.

After that, they'll head out in their own directions to begin their own life.

When fully grown, peregrine falcons can fly high in the sky above their prey. They dive at almost 200 mph, knocking their meal in the air with a strong blow — often times eating other birds, according to a report by the National Park Service.

Peregrine falcons often eat other birds, according to a report by the National Park Service. The falcons can fly high above their prey and dive at more than 200 mph, killing their meal mid-air with a strong blow, the NPS report said.

The chicks were all named in honor of the utility company's 30th year of their peregrine falcon program. The preservation initiative started in 1992 when We Energies released falcons born at one power plant into the wild. Ever since, the company has installed peregrine nests in Oak Creek, Milwaukee, Port Washington and Rothschild.

The chicks born at We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service boxes in 2022 bring the program's total number of peregrine falcons raised to 433 since 1992.

You can see the chicks and their parents on We Energies' live nest box cameras. We Energies said the chicks born in Port Washington and Milwaukee are younger than those in Oak Creek, and will probably stick around for another week or two.

The chicks born at Weston Power Plant in Rothschild just began to hatch last week, the company said.

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Peregrine Falcons Get Their Names At Oak Creek Power Plant

Peregrine Falcons Lay 1st Egg Of Season At Oak Creek Power Plant