Oak Creek falcon chicks get 'spaced out'

Carollton students at the Oak Creek falcon banding.

Four peregrine falcon chicks at our Oak Creek Power Plant have stellar new names, thanks to some creative kids from Carollton Elementary School. Fifth graders from Janice Posda’s class got to name the chicks, and they turned to astronomy for inspiration. Their choices are out of this world: Ophelia, Triton, Hydra and Styx, all names of planetary moons in our solar system.

The students got to see the chicks up close Monday on a field trip to the plant. They saw our peregrine manager, Greg Septon, put wildlife bands on the birds. The bands allow researchers to track the falcons throughout their lifetime and keep tabs on the overall peregrine population. Here are some pictures and a video clip from the banding. These guys make a lot of noise for such little creatures!

Greg Septon shows darker feathers coming in, adult plumage.

Ophelia, Triton, Hydra and Styx.