Oct 15, 2020
October is a month like no other — four full weeks of unparalleled beauty. If I could figure a way to make it happen, I’d take October, put it in a bottle and then relive the month over and over again. For the outdoor enthusiast, there are a million things to see and do in October. It’s a time when autumn colors peak, blue jays...
Oct 12, 2020
The first half of October is a premier time for Iowa birding enthusiasts to hit the woods and waters. The weather is mild, fall color has peaked, and birds are moving across our region by the thousands. Winter Wren – While observing a group of warblers foraging through thickly wooded understory, I spotted a nearby movement in the ground cover. ...
Oct 7, 2020
I wish I had kept track of how many calls I’ve received this year regarding the dramatic invasion of red fox into the residential neighborhoods across Northern Iowa. There have been “fox on my patio” calls — Fox crossing the deck, fox under the deck, fox walking down the front sidewalk, fox with pups by the garden, fox chasing squirrels, fox...
Oct 5, 2020
By now, I think it’s obvious to everyone that Iowa’s giant Canada goose flock enjoyed banner production during 2020. The event has not gone unnoticed by area waterfowlers who have been cashing in on some fast paced, early season action. But although hunters are enjoying early season success, there is also a potential downside. Regardless of...
Oct 1, 2020
Bird baths are an important component of successful backyard bird feeding. During the heat of summer, the benefits of providing a cool drink or clean water for bathing are more than obvious. In some cases, water can draw as many birds as the feeders themselves. But now that summer has passed and the weather is cooling, many people are tempted...
Sep 23, 2020
Abandoning their summer homes in the North Country, tiny wood warblers are on the move. For Iowa birding enthusiasts, the season’s most challenging migration has begun. I use the word challenging because no other grouping of birds is more difficult to correctly identify than autumn warblers. Magnolia warber Even when warblers are bedecked in...
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.