FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Amid loud and angry squawking from proud falcon parents, the peregrine falcon chick was briefly removed from the nest atop Indiana Michigan Power Center (IMPC) to receive its identification band and named BeeGee.
For the ninth consecutive year, falcon father Jamie and mother Moxie, watched protectively this morning during the banding ceremony hosted at Indiana Michigan Power Center in partnership with the Indiana Audubon Society, Soarin’ Hawk Raptor Rehabilitation (based in Fort Wayne) and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Brad Bumgardner, executive director of the Indiana Audubon Society, banded the chick, bringing to 64 the number of chicks hatched and banded atop IMPC since 1996.
“The banding requires us to remove the chicks from their nest for a brief time, which is unexpected for the parents. They acted like any parent would trying to protect their young and expressed their displeasure until the chick was returned,” said Bumgardner. “The numbered band will help us track the movement of the Midwestern peregrine falcons, which after maturity can settle up to 200 miles from where they were raised.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and still practicing physical distancing concerns, I&M was unable to invite student groups to watch the banding, hear an educational presentation from Soarin’ Hawk Raptor Rehabilitation and name the chick like in previous years. That’s where the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne and Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) customers worked together to name the chick, BeeGee.
“Indiana Michigan Power is dedicated to enriching the lives of our youngest customers and the falcon chicks always spark their imagination and put a smile on their face,” said Kim Sabrosky, director of External Affairs for I&M. “We partnered with the kindergartners and first graders at the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne to come up with four female names and four males names. Then we posted those names on our social media platforms for our customers to select their favorite.”
After more than 1,000 votes on I&M’s social media channels, BeeGee is now the name of the newest female falcon chick.
The current pair of falcons, Moxie and Jamie, have been nesting atop the Indiana Michigan Power Center since 2012. Moxie, the mother, is from Canton, Ohio, and the father, Jamie, migrated to Fort Wayne from Port Sheldon, Michigan.
You can watch Moxie, Jamie and BeeGee in their nest high above Fort Wayne on the FalconCam 24x7 at www.IndianaMichiganPower.com/FalconCam
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ABOUT INDIANA MICHIGAN POWER:
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 600,000 customers. More than 85% of its energy delivered in 2020 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, nearly 35 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states, and 2,620 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.
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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 approximately 16,800 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 223,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 5,500 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, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com.