Mar 25, 2020
The giant Canada goose is the first waterfowl to begin nesting each spring; and at least a few females are already sitting on eggs. One of those early nests is located atop a muskrat lodge at Lekwa Marsh on Clear Lake’s south shore. While I was photographing the nest on March 24, the incubating goose received an unusual visitor when a large...
Mar 12, 2020
The annual migration of northbound snow geese is one of creation’s most awe-inspiring events. Moving toward ancestral breeding grounds in arctic Canada, snow goose flocks are currently winging their way across Iowa. Pushing the edge of a retreating winter, peak migrations usually occur around early to mid-March. But spring weather may...
Mar 11, 2020
My kitchen calendar was offering the latest proof positive that time really does fly. Even with Leap Year’s added day, the 29th of February had suddenly arrived. Tempus fugit for sure! I doubt that many will mourn the month’s passing. For a lot of folks, the end of February marks the end of winter — or at least hope for the...
Mar 6, 2020
With a significant snow melt currently underway, this year’s spring migration is pushing northward. Canada geese, a handful of white-fronts, and bald eagles are the most noticeable vanguards of things to come. While driving up the highway toward my home at Clear Lake, I spotted a distant eagle traveling in the same northbound direction. ...
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.