Dec 31, 2016
Turkey Hollow – Late last week: The arrow was launched and my New Year’s Day turkey dinner was in the bag. In prime condition, I was amazed – as always — at just how much fat the winter turkey was carrying. The bird’s gizzard, for example, was completely engulfed in a thick layer of bright yellow fat. But it was the turkey’s liver that I was...
Dec 31, 2016
Procuring the perfect Christmas goose is an annual priority of my winter agenda. This year’s honored entree arrived during a cold and blustery afternoon when nearly two dozen hog fat Canada geese decided to investigate my decoys. With the beautiful Christmas goose plucked and on ice; there only remained a single uncompleted item on my 2016 Outdoor...
Dec 23, 2016
A spectacular winter storm system is currently careening across the upper mid-west – including Clear Lake – today. Snow is coming down in huge clumps of clean white flakes; 3 to 5 additional inches is expected. This photo includes two of my favorite subjects – new snow & Canada geese. I think this one comes as close as I’ll likely ever get to...
Dec 17, 2016
Notes on Goldeneyes – Shotguns – and Eagles For Iowa duck hunters, the appearance of migrating goldeneyes is a bittersweet moment. Although a prime goldeneye drake is regarded as a waterfowling trophy, the species’ arrival signals the beginning of the end. Make no mistake. Open water has been officially put on notice. Freeze-up is at hand. Like it...
Dec 16, 2016
By the second week of December, there remained little question that winter had arrived. In northern Iowa, marshlands were frozen solid. At Clear Lake [where I live] more than 3,600 acres of open water had been reduced to two small air holes. But although local weather conditions had turned frigid, the late season bird show was heating up as clouds of...
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.