OAK CREEK, Wis. — Two of the peregrine falcon chicks born at the Oak Creek Power Plant took their first flights on Tuesday.
Mario, named after the 1992 debut of Super Mario Kart, was the first chick to race out of the We Energies nest. His sister Whitney, named in honor of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," was the second to leave the coop.
According to We Energies, siblings Mae (named after astronaut Mae Jemison) and Favre (named after Packers quarter Brett Favre) are likely to spread their wings soon.
The chicks were born this spring and were given 1992-themed names in honor of the 30th anniversary of We Energies' peregrine-falcon program.
Watch Mario race out of the nest:
Watch Whitney take her first flight:
We Energies says the chicks will spend the next few weeks learning how to hunt prey and master their flying skills. Then the four will head off in separate directions to lead their own lives.
There are other chicks at the Port Washington Generating Station and Milwaukee's Valley Power Plant, but they are younger and will stay for another week or two. Chicks began to hatch just last week over at the Weston Power Plant. You can check out the action on the We Energies' live nest box cameras.
Since recovery efforts began, there is now a total of 433 peregrines hatched, named and banded at We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service power plants.
