Nov 21, 2015
Migrators: Boring into the teeth of a 30 knot NW wind at sunrise; arriving flaps down over the decoys at seven; into the apple wood stoked Weber by 5:30 and onto the table [medium rare] promptly at six. Long grained rice, mushroom & orange segments, and baked cabbage on the side. No frills; no fuss — just stick to your ribs good...
Nov 11, 2015
Home Wrecker. That’s how my friend Brandon Stark has labeled the monstrous white-tailed buck currently haunting our local woodlands. The handle stuck, and now it’s the name everyone is using when referring to this nerve shattering, four legged antlered giant. High, wide, and handsome; Home Wrecker is the kind of buck that deer hunters dream...
Nov 5, 2015
Migrating Blackbirds Provide Choreographed Air Show For those who relish the outdoors, the month of November is one of the busiest and most exciting times of the year – so busy and so exciting, in fact, that making a list of all the things to do would fill pages. One of the things I eagerly look forward to in November is observing the annual...
Nov 3, 2015
North Woods Hawk Trapping Falconer’s Phone Call Launches Superior Adventure The big female goshawk was growing weary. Drifting southward above the Ontario wilderness, the hawk had been on the wing for a long while. Although she had killed and eaten the better part of a snowshoe hare the day before, the energy gained from that meal was waning. She...
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.