Xcel Energy Bird Cam

Bird Cam

A brief history and educational opportunities

History

In 1989, when a plant employee spotted a peregrine falcon frequenting our Allen S. King Plant stack in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, we decided to do more than watch, and became active partners with the Raptor Resource Project in an effort to save the peregrine falcon. Peregrine falcons began disappearing from their natural habitats during the 1950s, and by 1965 they had virtually disappeared from the eastern United States, with only a handful remaining in the Rocky Mountains.

We installed a nest box designed for peregrines at the King Plant and it became home to Mae, famed for her longevity and peregrine parenting skills. Read more about Mae.

The power plant nest box project grew, along with peregrine populations, to include active nest boxes at nearly all of our Minnesota power plants.

In 1997, we installed the first of our Bird Cam cameras in the King plant falcon nest to increase awareness for conservation efforts and provide the public with opportunities to watch the birds and their growing families each spring on our Web site. Today the peregrine, whose name means wanderer, soars the Midwest’s skies once more and is no longer listed as an endangered species.

Our Bird Cam continues to grow in popularity, and with the number and variety of birds that choose our power plant nest sites for their homes, we have been able to expand Bird Cam to include: four falcon cams, eagle cam, owl cam, kestrel cam and osprey cam.

Educational Opportunities

Bird Cam offers great educational opportunities for the general public, birding enthusiasts and students.

• Energy Classroom, our interactive online site designed to teach 3rd - 5th grade students about energy and conservation, features a unit on Power & Wildlife that provides more information about eagles, owls, osprey, and peregrine falcons.
• Through the Xcel Energy Foundation, we have partnered with HawkQuest, an environmental raptor education group, to develop classroom curriculum that incorporates Bird Cam. Teachers interested in using Bird Cam in the classroom can find this curriculum on the HawkQuest web site.

As open space and natural habitat gradually disappear with development, the property surrounding our plants and other facilities can continue to provide valuable habitat. We participate in a number of activities to help protect wildlife, including hosting conservation projects on our properties and working to protect birds around electrical facilities.