Young falcons are already wearing rings - endangered birds have found a home at the Głogów Copper Smelter

Three baby falcons were successfully ringed today at the Głogów Copper Smelter. They hatched this April in a nest located on one of the stacks at this division of KGHM. The employees of the 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 do all this according to the company’s slogan: “KGHM for Falcons.”

The nesting platform for falcons is located on the “Konicznynka” stack at the Głogów Copper Smelter II. Today’s ringing was carried out by specialists from the Society for Wild Animals “Falcon” with the support of volunteers from KGHM and employees of the smelter. The nestlings received special yellow rings (ornithological), designed for falcons nesting in urban areas.

This year the nesting platform was occupied by a pair of falcons: Shira (female) and Bohun, who had three chicks.

A total of 45 chicks have been ringed since the installation of the nesting platform on the stack by the smelter’s workers. This is an impressive result, especially since there are currently only 100 pairs of peregrine falcons 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.

In 2008, an unsuccessful peregrine falcon nesting attempt was identified at the Głogów Copper Smelter. At that time, a nesting platform was installed on one of the stacks of that division of KGHM. Just a year later, the first three falcons hatched there.

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 company supports the reintroduction of these animals by, among other things, taking care of the falcons nesting at the smelter, as well as carrying out the “KGHM for Falcons” program, which includes lessons on environmental issues at schools and kindergartens in the Copper Belt scheduled to be carried out later this year.

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