Xcel Energy Falcon Cam
Falcon Cam
Active: March - May
High Bridge Plant, St. Paul, MN
The High Bridge plant is located on the Mississippi River near downtown St. Paul, Minnesota.
The generating plant has been a fixture and visible presence in St. Paul since 1923, and it remains a critical source of electricity for downtown St. Paul and the surrounding community. The High Bridge plant is part of a MERP project, which involves replacing our existing coal-powered facility with a natural gas-fired combined-cycle unit. Due to this project our nest box will need to be relocated. Check back later in the spring to see photos from the next box at its new location.
Other Falcon Daily Pix
Latest News
It's too soon for peregrine falcon nesting, but we expect to see activity when the migrants begin to return this next month. The male falcon living at our Black Dog Plant is an exception, this bird has spent the entire winter at the site. Nora, who has traditionally nested at Black Dog, appears to have gone south for the season.
About Falcon Cam
Peregrine falcons find power plant stacks very attractive nest sites for because:
- peregrine falcons are most at home high in the sky, where they "skydive" for prey. By installing nest boxes at a height of 300- 600 feet above the ground, we are able to offer them an environment similar to the high cliffs they naturally prefer;
- from high on the stacks, peregrines get an excellent view of the skies around them, giving them the opportunity to quickly spot their intended prey.
Using Falcon Cam, you can watch these birds throughout the day as they go about raising their families, from mid-April through June.
Interested in corresponding with other Bird Cam viewers? Join the BirdCam Forum available through the Raptor Resource Project.
Falcon Facts
- Both parents help raise their young.
- Have been known to live up to 15 years.
- Eat prey largely made up of other birds which they catch in flight.
- Use of the pesticide DDT nearly wiped out the entire population in the 1960s.
- Peregrine Falcons are the fastest raptors on earth, with diving speeds over 200 miles per hour and level flight speeds of over 60 miles per hour.
