Xcel Energy Bird Cam

Bird Cam

Fresh from the nest

Xcel Energy's 2008 bird cam season is coming to a close, with all the boxes and nests now empty, except for the Osprey nest. The Great Horned Owls at Valmont Station successfully raised two young owls. The Bald Eagles at Fort St. Vrain proved they could again raise three healthy young eagles. A colder than normal spring in Minnesota lead to more eggs failing and fewer young falcons this year. At the Allen S. King Plant nest box, two young falcons hatched from a group of five eggs. On June 10, the two young male falcons were banded with much fanfare. The names of the two young falcons, Ben111 and Kirby, were provided by students from Sanford Middle School who followed the nesting falcons on Bird Cam. On June 23, four young falcons were banded at the Black Dog Plant. This nest box is located 600 feet above the Minnesota River. On July 11, we banded two young osprey at the Allen S. King Plant nest.

An inside look at the great outdoors

The open space, vegetation, and water surrounding our power plant sites makes them excellent homes for wildlife. We have installed web-based Bird Cams at several of our facilities to help raise awareness of these wild creatures and share them with the public. The Bird Cam news will get you caught up on the latest information from the nests.

Watch a variety of raptors raise their young from early spring to mid-summer.

The best viewing times are:

Eagle Cam late February through May
Falcon Cam late March through May
Kestrel Cam late March through June
Osprey Cam late April through June
Owl Cam February through May

Read a brief history of our Bird Cams and explore educational opportunities.