Falcon chicks get bands in Waukegan

Submitted by Armando Tejada

Every year, a remarkable event takes place at the Midwest Generation Generating Station in Waukegan.

On Tuesday, May 29, representatives from the media, local government and the school district as well as local residents witnessed the banding of the newly born falcon chicks at the Waukegan Generating Station.

A Peregrine falcon, Fran, has been returning each spring for 10 years to its rooftop nest at the Waukegan Generating Station to lay her eggs. This is significant to employees at the Waukegan Station because they have taken care of this falcon and her chicks since 2001.

Midwest Generation employees built a box to protect the nest from being hit by wind and rain. To date, approximately 40 baby falcon chicks have hatched. Midwest Generation works with the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago to band the legs of the newly born chicks, giving them an identification number which can be used to monitor their movements. These bands are placed on the leg of the falcon by certified scientists from the Field Museum. The bands placed on the falcons are in no way hazardous to the falcons and are mainly used for research purposes. Falcons hatched in previous years have been spotted as far as Indiana and Wisconsin.

To help reduce the impact its operations has on animals that live near its facilities, Midwest Generation manages several endangered species protection programs. The other species that Midwest Generation is helping to protect include the Piping Plover and the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly.

Because of programs like the one at the Waukegan Station, the Peregrine falcon is no longer on the endangered species list.

Midwest Generation is a subsidiary of Edison Mission Group, an Edison International Company.

Ÿ To submit Your news, send it to nbrcalendar@dailyherald.com.