Aug 2, 2020
The red-headed woodpecker is one of Iowa’s best-known birds. It is also one of our most popular. Easily recognized by its redder than red head, black and white checkerboard plumage, and bluish chiseled bill; it would be hard to mistake this bird for anything else. Getting up close and personal, I’ve recently enjoyed the opportunity to...
Jul 8, 2020
The white-tailed deer is one of Iowa’s most economically and recreationally important species of wildlife. For deer hunting enthusiasts, it’s never too early to start thinking of fall. I was reminded of that fact earlier this week when a yearling buck suddenly stepped out of the woodland shadows and into full view. Pausing at a distance of...
Jun 26, 2020
Female Hairy Woodpecker Feeding Fledgling While photographing an energized gang of scurrying chipmunks at the abandoned woodpile, I couldn’t help but notice an excessive amount of activity on the part of a nearby pair of hairy woodpeckers. I soon discovered the reason for the commotion. The woodpeckers’ nest — containing two...
Jun 25, 2020
Can’t say for sure what it is, but there’s just something about a chipmunk that makes people smile. It doesn’t seem to matter where the chipmunk is or what it’s doing – you might spot one sitting atop an old stump munching on an acorn, cautiously peering around a stack of firewood, or high tailing it across a forested trail. Doesn’t...
Jun 20, 2020
It’s that time of year again. Iowa’s Baby Bird & Bunny season has officially begun. During the past few days, I’ve seen lots of wildlife babies. Baby birds, baby rabbits, baby squirrels. I even spotted the season’s first pair of spindle-legged twin fawns. Each new sighting is cause for celebration – a vivid...
Jun 10, 2020
With its distinctive high-domed helmet-shaped upper shell, bright yellow throat, and endearing smile, it would be hard to mistake the Blanding’s turtle for anything else. Sadly, it is a species that most Iowans will never have an opportunity to view. There are exceptions, of course. Take for example, the adult Blanding’s recently seen...
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.