Outrunning Migration - Part 17 - Chasing Waterfalls (Temperance River)

For any park I visit my ultimate goal is to find an adventure or at the least create memories that will stick with me for a long time. When I rolled up to Temperance River State Park and found some roadside parking along the highway I knew I was in for yet another outstanding round of water falls at peak flow rate. What I didn't know is that the pair of Common Raven I immediately heard were going to be some of the most cooperative I've ever seen in my life.

My energy stores were low, but moral was high. This was my 8th north shore park in 4 days! Man what a trip to be able to do them all and hike them in the same span of time.

Once I donned my full gear and jumped on the trail that would hike up river I quickly became aware of this Raven pair circling the area as they eventually settled mid-way up a Spruce tree and began issuing a number of fun vocalizations to each other. After a short period of time they started picking pieces of the branches off and dropping them to the ground, raining spruce needle clumps down onto the trail and river below. I still don't know precisely what I was seeing as they did this as different levels of the tree from one another. If they were creating better perch points for themselves with a nest near by or something else completely, it was fascinating and afforded me outstanding photographic opportunities at close range using my Nikon P900 camera.

For the first time my photos were able to show me the nice extra shaggy throat feathers, the massive bill with robust nasal bristles and just the overall size and unique features that make them Ravens instead of the smaller American Crow. As I noted at the start it is these type of situations I'll remember for a long time. The chance to hang out and get a true feeling for how a pair of Ravens behaves and interacts is a wonderful lesson and was totally unexpected as I started my hiking.

Under appreciated, the Common Raven is a legend if you ask me. They bring such an amazing vocal range to their calls from hoarse croaking to a near liquid gurgle and many elements in between the two. I love their size and habits and how you most often find a pair spending time together.

Look at the throat feathers and size of that bill.

Man that side profile really shows off the bill size and how elongated the face seems on a Raven. The sleek feathers on the head and neck show very different from the shaggy throat.

One more, because damn that is a beautiful bird.

Of course it was very quiet in the morning and I had the trail to myself as I made my way up river over ancient water fall rocks that led the viewer to realize the size of the falls had been much larger in the distant past. The smooth rocks showed imprisoned agates that had been built by mineral deposit in the air bubbled volcanic rocks.

The hiking path showing smooth rock that was long ago all part of a large waterfall during glacial periods.

These white spots show mineral deposits in the volcanic rock are the birthplace of agates.

As I followed the river trail I was shown cauldrons of roiling root beer colored water forced into a narrow canyon of falls running down towards Lake Superior. This park immediately evokes thoughts of Cascade River State Park though they each have a different character or vibe to them, I can feel them starting to merge together in my memories a month or so later. Many excellent photographic opportunities were available along the river and the birding was very quiet with the running water drowning up much of the adjacent bird song.

Low key day and hike, but always beastmode.  What a beautiful place to visit.

As you can see the river presents a multitude of views and intriguing roiling pools of water.

Looking back on my pictures I realize how little many of the trees were leafed out at the time. Spring is very different on the north shore from the twin cities area and it was very educational to see it first hand.

This type of view shows that in mid/late May you still don't have a ton of vegetation in place this far north. Leaves are still trying to get out and open on the trees and the understory is still starting to develop the first plants of the year.

As much as it pains me to say I was running out of juice at this point in my trip circuit. I had hiked over 2 marathons of distance in 10 days while visiting 20 state parks (20th was my next stop at Jay Cooke) and driving a lot of miles. I had guided a warbler walk at Frontenac during this time as well and still had to return home and do guide work all day for an event held in conjunction with national park service ranger Sharon Stitler at Grey Cloud Dunes SNA. I would likely guide 2 or 3 times during the day and put on up to 10 miles. All of this being the case I knew I had to cut short this park outing so I could give myself some measure of recovery time. I hiked 2.5 miles in just under 2 hours moving relatively slowly during that time and really enjoyed the water falls and beauty of the park.

Looking at the map again now I see many great distance hikes off river that beg for discovery. With Carlton and Tofte Peak being connected via Superior Hiking Trail I can see another single park full day of hiking in my future. This place with the terrain could really put together some outstanding and memorable hikes for those more interested in that aspect of the outdoors. I get the feeling making a point of doing those hikes will make me one of the few to do so while primarily birding.

As noted I cut short my hiking for the day and started the drive south so I could make a stop at Jay Cooke and still get home for some much needed rest and relaxation prior to doing the Grey Cloud event that has already become a fixture in my life in it's 3rd year.

The Great: The river canyon and falls is straight up amazing and even with just 19 species of birds I truly enjoyed the birding with Common Raven stealing the show for me. I can't imagine a future in which I don't come back to hike this park in serious beastmode in the future.

The Meh: A section of trail spaces are very near the river or highway 61 so you should be prepared to still get some noise that will limit birding for those less mobile and able to seriously hike the space. This is likely why from a birding community standpoint the park is very under appreciated. I will seek to change that over the coming years as I feel I'm the right person to attack big hikes and birding at the same time.

The Verdict: Easy return park for me. Great scenery for anyone that wants to see slot canyon style falls in the spring and wonderful natural space. Couple that with the prospect of quality elevation hikes and I'm ready to go back right now. I had virtually never heard of this park for birding and now look forward to building my park life list and maybe even do some snowshoeing in the future.