This year’s nesting season on the chimneys of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group’s production sites builds on the successes of previous years. The falcon families have successfully raised nine chicks, and each of them now has its own identity document. Three chicks received identification rings at the Litvínov refinery, three at the Kralupy refinery, and another three young falcons also received their ID cards at Parama in Pardubice. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group has been collaborating on the falcon nesting project with the non-profit organisation ALKA Wildlife since 2011. To date, 79 chicks have hatched thanks to this initiative.

The peregrine falcon has long been classified as a critically endangered species and is only gradually returning to the Czech countryside. In recent years, it has taken a particular liking to industrial sites as alternative nesting grounds. “We are delighted that the falcons have thrived in our sites again this year. Every successfully reared chick is proof to us that even industrial sites can provide a suitable and safe environment for such a sensitive species as the peregrine falcon,” says Lucie Pražáková, Director of the ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation. 

The chicks are ringed at around three to four weeks of age, and the rings subsequently serve as a unique identifier. This allows experts to track their future lives and stories. “This year, we ringed a total of nine chicks at ORLEN Unipetrol, of which five were males and four were females. The chicks were in excellent condition, well-fed and cooperated during the ringing. The falcon mothers watched us closely from the chimneys to make sure we weren’t harming their chicks,” describes Václav Beran, an ornithologist from ALKA Wildlife.

Young falcons usually leave their nests in June, when they set out into the world on their own. After two to three years, they find their own territory where they can nest. This year’s season has successfully followed on from last year’s, which was the most successful to date. A total of twelve chicks hatched on chimneys in Litvínov, Kralupy nad Vltavou and Paramu in Pardubice, with four at each location.

ORLEN Unipetrol has been collaborating on the falcon monitoring programme with experts from the ALKA Wildlife association for sixteen years. Thanks to this partnership, it has been possible to monitor nesting, breeding success and the stories of individual falcons over the long term. Those interested can still follow the development of the chicks on the chimneys of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group’s production sites online via cameras positioned directly next to the nests at starameseosokoly.cz.