Dec 31, 2015
Today’s magnificent snowstorm delivered the kind of weather I wait all year for. The noisy crusted over snow was quickly buried, the woods became completely silent again, and the landscape soon resembled an upside down Christmas globe on steroids. Best of all, resident white-tails were on the move. With three unused deer tags still in my pocket, I...
Dec 12, 2015
It’s rumored that when throwing important dinner parties, some of our local high rollers like to impress their guests by having live lobsters flown in from Maine or gallons of jumbo shrimp delivered fresh from the Gulf. And although I’m not likely to receive an engraved invitation to any of those social events any time soon, I have no reason to...
Dec 3, 2015
Across Iowa’s northern tier, the signals are clear. This year’s duck season is rapidly winding down. Smaller ponds and sloughs – even the larger marshes — are completely iced over – have been that way for more than a week now. Winter is at hand and even the largest lakes are on borrowed time. But for those who hunt diving ducks, there...
Dec 3, 2015
Monday morning, the final day of November. A significant winter storm was brewing and you could feel it in the air. A light skiff of snow had already fallen during the night and area weather forecasters were all but guaranteeing that more snow and maybe even some ice was headed our way. With more than an hour to go until daylight, school...
Born in North Central Iowa, Lowell Washburn has enjoyed a lifelong interest in the out of doors. He began photographing wild birds at age 10, and outdoor photography soon became his passion and eventually a career. Washburn is best known for images that portray migratory waterfowl and other wetland wildlife in their natural habitats. His best photographs are often obtained after spending hours floating amid natural marshlands, half submerged within the dark confines of a floating muskrat house blind.
Upon completing military service as a sergeant with the Fourth Infantry Division in the central highlands of South Vietnam, Washburn returned to Iowa in 1970. His wildlife photos began appearing in Iowa newspapers in 1971 and he began authoring outdoor news columns in 1978. Today, his photos and writing have appeared in over 50 national and international magazines including Outdoor Life, International Wildlife, Field&Stream, Ducks Unlimited, Pointing Dog Journal, the NAFA Journal, and others.
After working as a naturalist for Iowa’s county conservation board system, Washburn was recruited by the Department of Natural Resources in 1984. His primary duties included statewide communication with Iowa newspaper, television, and radio news agencies with a primary goal of increasing the level of public awareness and appreciation for Iowa's natural resources. During his tenure he also served as staff member for the Iowa Conservationist Magazine and for the DNR’s Iowa Outdoors Magazine. Washburn retired from the DNR in 2010.
In addition to wildlife photography, his ongoing outdoor passions include falconry, traditional bow hunting, waterfowling, spending time with hunting dogs of all types, and herpetology.