We Energies peregrine falcon chicks officially named, banded

MILWAUKEE -- The We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) peregrine falcon chicks are moving on to the next stage of their lives. Thousands of people voted to name the baby birds after their favorite things about Wisconsin. Now, the eight chicks born at We Energies power plants have been given their names and their identification bands.

During the banding, We Energies' peregrine falcon manager gently places a towel over the chick’s head to calm it down. He then carefully attaches a small metal band to each leg. The bands allow people to contact We Energies and let the company know if they’ve spotted one of the falcons in the wild.

There are just a few weeks left to watch the chicks in their nest boxes; they’ll fly the nest later in June.

WATCH: We Energies LIVE nest box cameras

We Energies falcon chicks at the Oak Creek Power Plant (L-R): Scoop, Cream Puff and Bubbler

Valley Power Plant in Milwaukee
From left to right:

We Energies falcon chicks at the Valley Power Plant (L-R): Brandy, Blaze and Hoppy

Weston Power Plant in Rothschild
From left to right:

We Energies falcon chicks at the West Power Plant (L-R): Kringle and Tundra

We Energies peregrine falcon program

We Energies and WPS are part of a statewide effort to restore the peregrine falcon population. The Department of Natural Resources added peregrine falcons to Wisconsin’s endangered species list in the 1970s.

Since We Energies' first successful nest box in the mid-90s, 410 peregrine falcons have hatched at facilities. The falcons are drawn to tall structures along Lake Michigan or major rivers, which make many of the We Energies and WPS facilities ideal nesting sites.