Key points at a glance
- The first three chicks of the 2026 peregrine falcon nesting season have hatched.
- The remaining six eggs are expected to hatch over the next few weeks.
- Milwaukee’s meteorologists have taken the lead in this year’s naming contest.
We Energies is celebrating the first birthdays of the 2026 peregrine falcon nesting season. All three of the peregrine falcon eggs at the Oak Creek Power Plant have hatched in the last 48 hours.
Proud parents Essity and Joel let us catch a glimpse of their fluffy chicks this morning. This is the couple’s second year nesting together.
The remaining six eggs at the Port Washington Generating Station and Valley Power Plant are expected to hatch in the coming weeks. You can catch all of the action on the 24/7 live nest box webcams.
Naming contest update
Thousands of votes have been cast to name these chicks and their brothers and sisters after local news anchors.
So far, Milwaukee’s meteorologists are off to a strong start. The top names from each station (in no particular order) are:
- “Brian Nestnansky” in honor of Brian Niznansky from TMJ4
- “Tom Squawks” in honor of Tom Wachs from Fox 6
- “Mark Birden” in honor of Mark Baden from WISN 12
- “Lance Talon” in honor of Lance Allan from CBS 58
- “Kristin Hatchell” in honor of Kristin Ketchell from Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin
- “Vince Falcono” in honor of Vince Vitrano from Newsradio 620 WTMJ
Fox 6 and Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin are leading the way in overall votes, but it’s a very close race. You can vote as many times as you’d like between now and Tuesday, May 5.
About the peregrine falcon program
We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) began installing peregrine falcon nest boxes at power plants in the early 1990s to support the species’ recovery in Wisconsin. Since then, 465 peregrine falcons have hatched at company facilities — representing 20% of all peregrine falcons born in the state. This program is just one way We Energies and WPS are building a bright, sustainable future.