Lowell Washburn, Author at Iowa Wildlife Federation

Lowell Washburn

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.

Flying Tigers

February 18, 2014 / Washburn's Outdoor Journal

Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.It’s no secret that most Iowans have had enough of winter snow — have had enough of winter cold. But spring is on its way. For one resident bird species, the season has […]

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Winter Marsh

February 13, 2014 / Washburn's Outdoor Journal

Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.k It’s mid-February and the North Iowa landscape remains in lockdown. Although today’s skies are clear and sunny, morning temperatures have failed to rise above a finger numbing ten degrees below zero.

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Wildlife 101: Cottontail Dynamics

January 31, 2014 / Washburn's Outdoor Journal

Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. After you’ve heard or read the same old stuff for about the millionth time, there are topics that seem to lose a bit of their original luster. You know, like the

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Feeding Birds with Birds

January 29, 2014 / Washburn's Outdoor Journal

Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. The woman at the opposite end of the phone line was — well, she was hysterical. Absolutely in a rage, and that’s putting it mildly. Whenever she’d stop to take a

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Pursuing the Late Season Buck

January 18, 2014 / Uncategorized

It was mid-winter. Hunting seasons were winding down and there could be little doubt that today would be a tough hunt. Even with a good rifle and dialed in scope, taking a mature buck would present a challenge. In

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All Buttoned Up

January 12, 2014 / Washburn's Outdoor Journal

Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. The Iowa deer season ended Friday, January 10. It was a tough hunt. During this year’s archery season, I hunted harder but encountered fewer deer in Northern Iowa than I’ve seen

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Cold Turkey!

January 8, 2014 / Washburn's Outdoor Journal

Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. It was something I’d been putting off for way too long. Last weekend, I finally crossed the bridge. Finally made the decision to go cold turkey — literally.

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My Kind of Weather

January 1, 2014 / Washburn's Outdoor Journal

Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. A beautiful sight — We’re happy tonight — Hawkin’ in a winter wonderland. What a way to end the year — spectacular below zero morning, beautiful dry powder falling all

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Christmas Goose

December 16, 2013 / Washburn's Outdoor Journal

Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. Bagging the perfect Christmas goose is a time honored, decade’s long family tradition. In this instance, the word “perfect” means a bird that is large, white skinned, hog fat and, just

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Season’s End

December 15, 2013 / Washburn's Outdoor Journal

Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved. Today was the last hurrah for Iowa’s [north zone] 2013 duck season. It was about as cold as a duck hunt can get. Skies were clear and, depending on which station you

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