ABOVE PHOTO: Scottie returned to nest for the third straight year to Xcel Energy’s Bay Front Power Plant on Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay in Ashland.
Xcel Energy is pleased to announce the launch of a new live camera offering the public a unique opportunity to observe peregrine falcons, three of which have already arrived, as they nest and raise their chicks on the shores of Lake Superior atop the Bay Front Power Plant. This camera is part of Xcel Energy’s ongoing commitment to environmental education and is one of several the company has installed throughout the states it serves.
“We are very excited to welcome the peregrine falcons back to Ashland and to share the nesting and raising of their young through our ‘Bird Cam’ for all to enjoy,” said Lynn Hall, environmental analyst, Xcel Energy. “Our partnership with the Raptor Resource Project allows us to continue to raise conservation awareness and create great nesting habitats for these birds.” Shortly after the camera was installed, Scottie from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula arrived at the box where he’s been coming the past two years.
Peregrine falcons began nesting at the Bay Front Power Plant in 2014 following the removal of a nearby oredock on Lake Superior where they previously nested. Each year since then, peregrine falcons have returned to the power plant to nest and notably, a chick born in Ashland in 2023 was identified last year as far south as South Padre Island, Texas. In the past few years, Xcel Energy has collaborated with the Ashland Daily Press and local school districts in Ashland and Bayfield to name the chicks.
History of Xcel Energy’s Peregrine Falcon Program
In 1989, a power plant employee spotted a peregrine falcon at the Allen S. King Plant in Oak Park Heights, Minn., marking the beginning of a nesting box program and live bird camera that has garnered widespread attention and been replicated by utilities worldwide.
Peregrine falcons began disappearing from their natural habitats during the 1950s, and by 1965, they had virtually vanished from the eastern United States, with only a handful remaining in the Rocky Mountains. To help save peregrine falcons, Xcel Energy partnered with the Raptor Resource Project to design and install a nest box at the Allen S. King Plant in Oak Park Heights, Minn.
In 1997, Xcel Energy aimed to increase awareness and provide the public with opportunities to watch the birds and their families grow and the company’s first “Bird Cam” camera was installed. The camera at the Bay Front Power Plant in Ashland is Xcel Energy’s first one installed in Wisconsin.
More than 30 years after the first peregrine falcon was spotted, over 1,000 young falcons have been born at Xcel Energy facilities, with 35 of them hatching in Ashland at the Bay Front Power Plant. Today, the peregrine is no longer listed as an endangered species.
To keep an eye on Scottie and his eventual partner CLICK HERE.
