Bye bye, Birdie: We Energies peregrine falcon chick takes her first flight

And she’s off! “Birdie Blair” has officially left the nest.

Birdie Blair, named in honor of five-time gold-medal speedskater and Wisconsin resident Bonnie Blair, was the first peregrine falcon chick born this season at the Oak Creek Power Plant to take flight.

Her brothers “Fitz” and “Glider,” named after fellow speedskaters Casey FitzRandolph and Brian Hansen, took their first flights soon after. They’ll spend the next few weeks learning how to hunt prey and mastering their flying skills. After that, they’ll head off in separate directions to start their own lives.

All of the falcon chicks born at We Energies power plants this spring were given names in honor of Wisconsin Olympic medalists.

There’s still plenty of action on our live nest box cameras. The chicks born at the Port Washington Generating Station and Milwaukee’s Valley Power Plant are younger and will likely stick around for a few more days. The chicks at Weston Power Plant just started to hatch last week.

This year’s class of chicks brings the total number of peregrines hatched, named and banded at We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) power plants to 453 since our recovery efforts began.