News Releases

Xcel Energy Bird Cam launches new streaming video

Live-action nesting is up and running

MINNEAPOLIS - Xcel Energy's Bird Cam visitors can now watch live video of raptors raising their young from cameras mounted at nesting boxes. The Bird Cam Web page, which can be accessed at http://birdcam.xcelenergy.com, or by clicking on “Bird Cam” under the Quick Tools menu at www.xcelenergy.com, features new streaming video from three of its popular nesting boxes.

From spring to mid-summer, continuous video is available from the peregrine falcon nest at Xcel Energy’s Allen S. King plant in Oak Parks Heights, Minn., and from eagle and owl nests located at Xcel Energy facilities in Colorado. Still photography is also available from kestrel and osprey nesting boxes and one additional falcon nest.

The streaming video feature is the first major Web site improvement since the Bird Cam program started in 1997 and offers viewers a more detailed look into the birds’ daily activities.

It has been 20 years since an employee at the Allen S. King plant spotted a peregrine falcon frequenting the plant stack and Xcel Energy joined with the Raptor Resource Project (www.raptorresource.org) in an effort to save the endangered birds. Xcel Energy became the first utility company in the world to place falcon nest boxes on its power plants. The idea has spread to power plants nationally and as far away as Italy and Vietnam. This year, the 1,000th young falcon will fledge from a power plant in the Midwest.

Xcel Energy installed the first Bird Cam in the King plant falcon nest to increase awareness for the conservation effort and provide the public with opportunities to watch the birds and their growing families on the company’s Web site. Last year, the Bird Cam Web site attracted more than 126,000 visitors.

The open space, vegetation and water surrounding Xcel Energy generating stations make them ideal habitats for a variety of wildlife. Xcel Energy is committed to minimizing its impact on the environment. The company is the No. 1 wind energy provider in the country and is a leader in emissions reduction programs and the development of new technologies to bring clean, renewable energy onto its system at a reasonable cost for its customers. More information is available at www.xcelenergy.com.