MGE's 2023 Peregrine Falcon Chicks' Names Inspired by Iconic Wisconsin Foods

MGE welcomes Cheese Curdis and Cream Puff to the family! 

Madison, Wis., May 31, 2023—Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) today announced the names of two peregrine falcons that hatched in the nesting box on top of its downtown Madison Blount Generating Station earlier this month.

This year's chicks have names that celebrate iconic Wisconsin food items. MGE employees voted on the names and Cheese Curdis and Cream Puff were the top vote getters from a list of Wisconsin foods. 

Wisconsin peregrine falcon expert Greg Septon banded the chicks at Blount this morning. The bands allow experts to track the birds throughout their lifetimes. 

Cheese Curdis, a female, was named for the little chunks of white or orange cheese that haven't gone through the aging process. Made famous as a Wisconsin delicacy, this squeaky cheese can be found on the menu at many Wisconsin establishments! 

Cream Puff, a female, was named for the famous French pastry Wisconsinites have grown to love and celebrate every year at the Wisconsin State Fair. The Wisconsin State Fair Cream Puff was created in 1924 when Governor John Blaine asked the state food inspector to come up with a food item that would highlight Wisconsin's dairy industry for fairgoers. 

Trudy, the female falcon, laid four eggs in April. This is the ninth year Trudy and her mate, Melvin, have returned together and laid their eggs in the MGE nesting box. They have been busy feeding the chicks that hatched in May. Two eggs remain unhatched. Despite these eggs not hatching, MGE's falcons have a hatch rate of about 95% over the last 15 years. A normal hatch rate for a site is around 75%. Cheese Curdis and Cream Puff will soon learn how to fly and eventually depart the nesting box. 

Fifty-five falcon chicks have hatched at Blount since 2009 when the birds first began nesting at the power plant. MGE installed the nesting box in 1999. Falcons prefer power plants and other tall buildings as nesting sites.

The peregrine falcon is listed as endangered in Wisconsin. Due to pesticide use in the 1960s, peregrines were declared extinct in the state. Falcons were reintroduced in the 1980s and have made a slow, steady comeback due to statewide efforts and nesting boxes like the one at Blount.

For more information on MGE's falcons, please visit mge.com/falcons.

About MGE 

MGE generates and distributes electricity to 161,000 customers in Dane County, Wis., and purchases and distributes natural gas to 173,000 customers in seven south-central and western Wisconsin counties. MGE's parent company is MGE Energy, Inc. The company's roots in the Madison area date back more than 150 years.