We have many plans for the coming year and are inviting you to help support them by contributing to our End of Year Fundraising goal of $20,000!
Planning to visit Malheur National Wildlife Refuge? Allow us to assist you! Learn more about the history and why it was created in the early 1900s.
Learn about the Projects, Programs, and Events that we are working on. Join the Friends with volunteer, sponsorship, and giving opportunities.
By Wm. Tweed, FOMR Board Member Visitors come from all over to visit Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, but seldom does the refuge get to host a sitting governor. That’s...
By Eileen Loerch I have been coming to Malheur NWR since the late 1970’s. It drew me and my husband. We came every year, then, with our infant daughter....
All birds lay eggs. The nests they build—or in some cases, don’t build—are as diverse as the birds themselves. Here’s a sampling of nests from birds that breed at...
Flocks of these long-legged, curved-bill waders are a regular sight in spring, summer, and autumn in the interior West. A drive past Harney County’s many flood-irrigated fields and wet...
By Walt Wolfe, Friends Member This story appears because Janelle asked me if I would elaborate on what I told her in my Membership Renewal about my first visit...
Written by Peter Pearsall/Photos by Peter Pearsall The natural world is full of deception. Choose almost any realm in nature and one will find organisms putting precious time and...
A tender moment between an American coot and its…adorable young. • The American coot is a somewhat drab water bird with gray and black feathers and a white beak, common in wetlands throughout North America. Coot chicks, however, sport outrageously bright orange and red feathers, skin, and beaks. Researchers have found that coot chicks that hatch later than their nestmates are more brightly colored—which signals to parents that the smaller, brighter chicks need to be fed more to catch up with their siblings. 📸 of coot pair by Pet#americancootS#highdeserta#oregondeserts#greatbasind#malheurnationalwildliferefugeo#friendsofmalheur #friendsofmalheur
I have never seen a drab any bird.
baby coots are super 'coot.'
Is it possible that a chick may be drowned by its mother because there are too many, the mother may not be able to care for all, and more would die if not for sacrificing that one? Disturbing, yes, but nature sometimes knows more than we.
Not really a water bird. Their feathers absorb water.
The Coot babies are not to miss with their bright color, at Smith and Bybee Wetlands.
The feet of an adult make up for their drabness but you don't get to see them often.
Love these fluffy colorful little babes
Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was formed in 1999 and is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.
Tax ID #: 93-1261322
We offer both personal and business memberships. See all of the benefits to becoming a member.
Donations are used across the Refuge for a variety of projects and programs that support our mission.