Falcons on Dukovany power plant

This year was the first year peregrine falcons occupied a nest box on one of the chimneys at the Dukovany nuclear power plant. Although they were young, the parents successfully raised four chicks. Members of the public from Dukovany named them Pankrác, Servác, Bonifác and Žofie.

Peregrine falcons are critically endangered but in recent years the Czech population has been gradually growing. One of the factors to this is the cooperation between nature conservation and private companies. By working with large companies such as ČEZ, Unipetrol as well as various smaller heating plants we have been able to utilise their structures to help falcons to nest. Normally, falcons will nest in rocky sites at altitudes above 100m. So to create possible alternatives to natural nesting sites, we have been installing nest boxes on power plants high chimneys.

Three years ago, the team at Dukovany decided install two nest boxes on their ventilation chimneys to support peregrines. Now, peregrines have finally returned to the Vysočina region after years of absence.

The female peregrine falcon feeding her young

A rare moment - the male also helping in the nest box

The female keeping the young warm overnight

The ČEZ Group has a long history of supporting the nesting of peregrine falcons across its power plants in Tušimice, Ledvice, Počerady, Prunéřov, Mělník, Trmice. With the addition of the nest boxes in Dukovany and Temelín has allowed falcons to nest again in this area after a very long time. A total of 84 young falcons have fledged from CEZ’s power plant nests over the past of 9 years!

Monitoring of the peregrine falcon population on industrial buildings in the Czech Republic is carried out with the support of the Ministry of the Environment, it does not have to express the views of the Ministry of the Environment.