Jan 29, 2017
A real Jack Hammer of a winter snowstorm rolled across the northern half of Iowa Tuesday night. By the time daylight arrived Wednesday, my truck roof was covered with just over a foot of beautiful new snow and the white was still coming down at a pretty good clip. In north central Iowa – where I live — there wasn’t much wind, but up here you...
Jan 29, 2017
Local coffee shops don’t seem quite as cheery as they did a couple weeks ago. Following several days of dark and gloomy overcast, folks are getting grouchy. People are apparently in need of some sunlight; or at least should consider some vitamin-D supplements. No change in weather is predicted. By the time daybreak arrived this morning, it was...
Jan 18, 2017
Iowa waterfowl hunting is done for the year. The late archery season for deer and turkeys ended January 10. Ditto for pheasants. Time has arrived for hunters to clean the shotgun and stow the rifle. Or has it? For those willing to pursue a somewhat less glamourous species, Iowa’s squirrel hunt is still on — runs until the end of the month, in...
Jan 13, 2017
The final segment of this year’s deer season presented hunters with a brutal variety of environmental challenges. With scant exception, Iowa’s late December/early January weather scene was dominated by below zero temps, minus double digit wind chills, and relentless winds. But that wasn’t the real issue. Even with minus twenty-degree or colder...
Jan 7, 2017
Turkey & dressing. The words go together like a hand and glove. Although normally associated with Thanksgiving, turkey & dressing is a great stick to your ribs taste treat anytime you can get it. At our home, roast turkey has become a New Year’s Day tradition. The feast has only two hard and fast requirements. The turkey must be wild; the...
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.