First peregrine falcon eggs of the season laid at We Energies nest boxes

It’s official — two pairs of our peregrine falcon parent pairs are now egg-specting! The first eggs of the 2021 nesting season were laid at the Oak Creek and Valley power plants over the weekend. 

Falcon mom and dad Essity and Michael were the first to welcome a new addition to their nest box in Oak Creek. Essity laid her first egg Saturday, March 20, the first day of spring, and her second early Monday morning.

At the Valley Power Plant in Milwaukee, Hercules and his mate, an unbanded female falcon, welcomed their first egg Sunday. Our peregrine falcon manager believes this is the same unbanded falcon who has been nesting at Valley since 2014. 

Now is the perfect time to tune in to our live nest box cameras. It’s only a matter of time before the arrival of more eggs.

Both sets of parents will take turns incubating their eggs over the coming weeks. If all goes well, we should see our first chicks in a little over a month. To learn more about the falcons at each nest box, check out this handy guide.

We’ll post all the egg-citing updates on Twitter and Facebook. 

Peregrine falcon program

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

Since our first successful nest in the mid-1990s, 410 peregrine falcons have hatched at our 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.

This program is another way We Energies and WPS are building a bright, sustainable future. From helping endangered animals and restoring natural habitats, to building new solar facilities and reducing carbon emissions, we are committed to a cleaner future.

They’re back! Peregrine falcons return to We Energies power plants

It’s a sure sign that spring is around the corner — peregrine falcons are back at We Energies power plants. Tune into our high-definition cameras 24/7 and watch as the raptors find love, lay eggs and raise their young.

This year, there are nest box cameras at three We Energies facilities, and we also have a camera at a Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) power plant: 

• Oak Creek Power Plant

• Port Washington Generating Station

• Valley Power Plant in Milwaukee

• Weston Power Plant in Rothschild

This is a great time to check in on the cameras throughout the day, because there should be quite a bit of activity over the next couple of weeks. Last year, the first eggs were laid around the end of March. 

If you need help identifying the falcons, our peregrine falcon manager has put together a handy guide for each nest site. You can also follow the We Energies Facebook page and Twitter feed for updates.

Peregrine falcon program

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

Since our first successful nest in the mid-’90s, 410 peregrine falcons have hatched at our 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.

This program is another way We Energies and WPS are building a bright, sustainable future. From helping endangered animals and restoring natural habitats, to building new solar facilities and reducing carbon emissions, we are committed to a cleaner future.

Where are they now?: Bucky

It’s time to jump around! In what has to be a good omen for Wisconsin Badgers fans, the peregrine falcon named “Bucky” has been spotted in Appleton. 

Bucky was one of four chicks born at the Port Washington Generating Station in May 2013. The very next year, the Badgers made it to the Final Four. (We’ll let you decide if that’s a coincidence.😉)

The now 7-year-old falcon has been recently spotted at the College Avenue Bridge in Appleton. Photographer Bruce Danz took this photo and kindly gave us permission to use it here. 

It’s always rewarding to see our peregrines doing well in the wild, but we never know when we’ll get lucky like this. Bucky left Port Washington eight years ago, and we hadn’t heard anything about him since! Danz was able to identify Bucky by the identification band we placed on his leg as a nestling.

Stay tuned for the start of the 2021 peregrine falcon nesting season later this month. If everything goes well, we’ll meet a brand-new class of chicks and watch them hatch, grow and fly away. 

Peregrine falcon program

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

Since our first successful nest in the mid-90s, 410 peregrine falcons have hatched at our 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.

This program is another way We Energies and WPS are building a bright, sustainable future. From helping endangered animals and restoring natural habitats, to building new solar facilities and reducing carbon emissions, we are committed to a cleaner future.

Oak Creek Power Plant's fishing pier: a great place to drop a line

Oak Creek Power Plant's fishing pier extends into Lake Michigan to provide anglers a place to cast their lines. The pier is open daylight hours March 15 through Nov. 15 – weather permitting.

Although located on private We Energies property, the pier is open to the public for fishing and provides picnic tables, trash bins and access to a nearby public beach. Swimming, boat launching and fires are not allowed, but the beach welcomes walkers and dogs.

Al Kunda, maintenance planner – We Energies at the Oak Creek plant, uses Lake-Link’s Oak Creek Power Plant pier forum to update fishing enthusiasts on the pier’s status and closures. He noted the pier is subject to closures “at any time due to poor weather conditions, early snowfalls in fall, late snowfalls in spring and extreme high surf due to strong easterly winds,” making Lake-Link a good resource to check before taking up your tackle.

The Oak Creek Power Plant pier is a good spot to catch coho and chinook salmon, and brown, rainbow and lake trout, among other types of fish. The fish are attracted to the change in water current and the slightly elevated temperature of the water discharging from the power plant. On a clear day, fish can be seen swimming in the plant’s discharge channel.

Although we can’t promise a good catch, we can provide a scenic space to try your luck.

Please do your part to keep the space a health place for everyone by following the rules on posted signs.

To access the pier, take East Oakwood Road from South Howell Avenue, turn onto Fishing Pier Road and then take North Bowl Road to park.

Map to the fishing pier.

Fishing reports
Lake-Link
DNR (check Milwaukee South)

‘I want that impact to be a positive one’: We Energies female employees share inspirational messages on International Women’s Day

It’s impossible to put into words the positive impact women have on our company and communities each day. From designing, engineering and repairing complicated energy systems to leading thousands of dedicated workers — female employees at We Energies are truly making a difference.

Each of these female leaders are an inspiration — but who inspires them?

In honor of International Women’s Day, we asked some of our female employees to share how women throughout history motivate them.

In a video posted on We Energies’ YouTube page , a diverse group of women throughout WEC Energy Group, the parent company of We Energies, reflect on powerful words spoken by trailblazers such as Maya Angelou, Serena Williams and Ruth Bader Ginsberg. More than a dozen women, from young professionals to senior company leaders, are featured, each highlighting the many roles the company depends on each day to provide customers with safe and reliable energy.

“Every decision, every change, big or small, has an impact on the people around me,” said Elizabeth Jost, director — gas operations for We Energies. “And I want that impact to be a positive one.”

WEC Energy Group is dedicated to ensuring a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace. Nearly 2,000 women work throughout the company, many in leadership positions. The company actively supports diversity and inclusion in part by promoting its eight business resource groups, including its Women’s Development Network, to all employees.

WEC Energy Group and its subsidiaries have received local and national awards for their commitment to a diverse workforce. We Energies was recently named as a Diversity in Business Award recipient by the Milwaukee Business Journal. Nationally, WEC Energy Group was recognized in 2019 as one of Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity, and as one of Newsweek’s Most Responsible Companies for 2021.

Where are they now?: The Beak Freak

Like his namesake, “The Beak Freak” is in midseason form. The peregrine falcon, named after Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo, has been spotted in Jefferson, Wisconsin. 

You may remember The Beak Freak was born in May 2019 at the Oak Creek Power Plant and named after the Bucks MVP by fans as part of our sports legends naming contest.

After The Beak Freak left the nest, we didn’t know if we’d ever see him again. But in October, Matt Hill captured the tell-tale band on The Beak Freak’s leg from the nest box webcam at the Valero Renewables nest site in Jefferson. Matt kindly granted us permission to use his image here.

We’re thrilled to see him making his way in the world a year and a half later. 

Stay tuned for the start of the 2021 peregrine falcon nesting season coming later this month. If everything goes well, we’ll meet a brand-new class of chicks and watch them hatch, grow and fly away. 

Peregrine falcon program

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

Since our first successful nest in the mid-90s, 410 peregrine falcons have hatched at our 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.

This program is another way We Energies and WPS are building a bright, sustainable future. From helping endangered animals and restoring natural habitats, to building new solar facilities and reducing carbon emissions, we are committed to a cleaner future.