May 21, 2014
Once they’ve been at it for a few seasons, most mushroom hunters will have amassed a collection of stories recounting their grandest moments in the spring woodlands. Most tales are accounts of big hauls and mother lodes. We’ve struck it big a time or two ourselves, and the ‘big finds’ never fail to provide cherished memories — like the...
May 20, 2014
Only got close to one turkey today [a hen], but there were plenty of other interesting things to observe in Iowa’s spring woodlands. Plum, and other, blossoms are really beginning to perfume the woods. What an incredible time of...
May 20, 2014
Of all the wild game the outdoors has to offer, no species is more predictably unpredictable than the elusive wild turkey. To pursue the bird is to engage in a never ending cycle of extreme highs and extreme lows. Yesterday, the turkeys had it going their way. I didn’t hear many birds at daybreak, but was finally able to strike up a mid-morning...
May 11, 2014
Spring has finally arrived; dandelions are beginning to bloom. For ultra-urbanized lawn care fanatics, the annual appearance of the dandelion’s familiar yellow flower is most unwelcome. But for those of us who stalk the elusive wild mushroom, it’s a sure sign of good things to come. No one can argue that the full flavored morel mushroom is our...
May 4, 2014
There are few things I enjoy more than hunting blue-winged teal as they migrate through Iowa each September. Although they can easily withstand a chill, they usually choose not to; and there is no denying that the speedy BWT is partial to warm climates. The first to move south each fall, blue-wings are also the last to arrive each...
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.