Laughing Whitefish Falls

   We visited Levassure Lake which the wildlife authorities had drained. Yummy birding. We spotted a lovely Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii), another of those difficult-to-identify empidonax crowd. While we were watching, the flycatcher chased away a small Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) from its limb.

Willow Flycatcher

   We ate lunch at the swank Brownstone Inn. It had been a hotel but was now only a restaurant. We entered the Hiawatha National Forest again to look for Au Train Lake. They have jet black squirrels there. At the lake we saw a Yellow Bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris)

Yellow Bellied Flycatcher

   Thus begin our Adventures of the Laughing Whitefish Falls. First we spot a Red Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) climbing down a tree head first. Then we finally got our first visual sighting of the Eastern Wood Pewee (Contopus virens) which we had heard a thousand times before. He is a non-descript looking bird, but has a droopy, plaintive call. Note here that we saw a Red Car driving down the service path parallel to our path across the clearing. This will be important later.

Eastern Wood Pewee

   We made it down to the Laughing Whitefish Falls and they were worth the mile long hike. There is an observation platform and stairs to the bottom. Water cascades beautifully down to a slide of slippery wet rocks. Very well done. Then we started walking back out. Berry and I stopped to debate the identity of a loud Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus). This bird creates a bower of dry leaves to attract a mate. We easily memorized its "thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack" call. Berry counted eight thwacks in a row. Then, an elderly man walked up the path toward us. He seemed nice, but claimed that he and his friend were stuck at the bottom of the falls. He seemed a little confused.

Ovenbird

   We pointed out to the man that he and his friend could drive back up the service path they had just come down. He claimed that it was muddy, etc. and that they "couldn't". Then we see his friend driving up the narrow walking path toward us. We said we'd go for help. Two tourists from Illinois stayed with them, while we walked to the top of the hill and informed people in a nearby house, who said they would help. Berry got a sense of responsibility due to the man's being somewhat addled, so I called the Michigan State Police, who said they would go and investigate.

Laughing Whitefish Falls

   What a way to end a great vacation. The police called me back to get my full story. Berry and I are packing to leave. The Yoopers have a great place to inhabit. I think it's a great place to visit.

Robert

photos courtesy of bshelton, ajordan and wikipedia