FORT WAYNE, Ind. – A sure sign spring has arrived in Fort Wayne, Ind., is evident on the roof of the city’s tallest building: the peregrine falcon nest is now filled with 3 eggs. The first egg was spotted on Indiana Michigan Power’s (I&M) FalconCam on Sunday, March 14.  

People can view the nest, eggs and proud parents live 24x7 by going to I&M’s live webcam: www.IndianaMichiganPower.com/FalconCam. In the next few months, I&M expects to record more than 10,000 page views on the webcam as we wait for the eggs to hatch.

“Our FalconCam is popular for falcon fans, ornithology aficionados, local students and people all over the world. I&M, Soarin’ Hawk Avian Rescue (based in Fort Wayne) and The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) work together every year to name and band each chick,” said Kim Sabrosky director of External Affairs for Indiana Michigan Power. “We are excited to have eggs once again in the nesting box and look forward to naming and banding the chicks in a few months.”

Since 1996, more than 60 falcon chicks have hatched in a nesting box on top of Indiana Michigan Power Center, (previously known as One Summit Square), making it one of the more productive sites in the Midwest for the falcon restoration. The building offers a cliff-like vantage point with few natural predators and access to water and food.

The parents’ identity will be confirmed by reading the ID bands on their legs. The parents are presumed to be Jamie (male) and Moxie (female). If so, Jamie and Moxie have laid at least 28 eggs since taking residence on the downtown landmark in 2013.

The falcon eggs generally hatch about a month after eggs are laid, and the young birds take their first flights at about six weeks of age.

Once the falcons reach an appropriate age, I&M will work with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to name and band each new falcon chick.

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Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 599,000 customers. More than two-thirds of its energy delivered in 2019 was emission-free.  I&M has at its availability various sources of generation including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, more than 22 MW of hydro generation in both states and approximately 15 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 2,620 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.

American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s more than 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 32,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,300 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Schneé Garrett

Indiana Michigan Power Communications

574-218-5987

smgarrett@aep.com