Falcons have made their home in yet another KGHM division - the bird family has appeared at the Ore Enrichment Plant

KGHM divisions have become a favourite nesting site for falcons that have taken up residence in Lower Silesia - since 2009, female falcons have laid their eggs on a special nesting platform located on the stack of the Głogów Copper Smelter. This year, the bird family also appeared on the main building of the Polkowice Ore Enrichment Plant.

Four young falcons have hatched at the Ore Enrichment Plant. In Głogów we have only one newborn falcon this year. A total of five nestlings were born at KGHM branches. The falcons have already been ringed. The nestlings received special yellow rings (ornithological), designed for falcons nesting in urban areas and blue observation rings for birds born in nature.

‘It is a unique situation that another pair of falcons has found a home at the OEP division. Apparently, the monolithic tall building proved to be the perfect place to raise nestlings. The surrounding peace and quiet, the lack of people in windows and on balconies as is the case in standard high-rise buildings, and the availability of food were decisive factors for the falcons that settled here’, says Dariusz Matijczak, chief forestry specialist at the Głogów Copper Smelter.

The employees of the Głogów smelter have been caring for peregrine falcons since 2009. They have built a special platform for these birds, look after them and ring them. They will now be joined by the OEP staff. It is likely that a special nesting platform located in a recess in the building will also be built there for the falcons, and if the technical conditions allow it, a video monitoring system will also be installed for the nest. All of these activities will be agreed with the facility owner in consultation with the OEP’s technical services and advice from falconry specialists.    

The nesting platform for falcons is located on the H 120 ‘Koniczynka’ stack of the P-22 Slurry Furnace Department at the Głogów Copper Smelter II. Since its installation, 46 nestlings have already been ringed. This is an impressive result, especially as there are currently about 100 peregrine falcon couples in Poland. Certainly, some of the birds hatched at the Głogów Copper Smelter have significantly strengthened the national population of this extremely rare magnificent bird of prey. Thanks to bird monitoring, it is known that a falcon from Głogów named Giga has chosen to live in Poland’s capital - it has a nest on the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw.

Falcons are some of the rarest birds in Poland. Thanks to their strict protection, the population is growing. Every year, more than a dozen breeding pairs arrive.

The falcon nest at the Głogów Copper Smelter can be observed at peregrinus.pl.