Habitats 
The Qurrayah site embraces two farms approximately 30 hectares in 
area. It consists of intensive irrigated alfalfa Medicago sativa cultivation, 
vegetable gardens in desert scrub and abandoned gardens, recently 
ploughed and levelled, resulting in a thinly vegetated, small sand desert 
with a few small rocks. Bordered by housing to the north and east, the 
area (which is almost treeless) boasts a wide variety of birds in most 
seasons. 
The sewage dump is a small area (less than half a hectare) in sand desert 
with some low vegetation. 
The Al Meerouge Dairy Farm near Zallaq is approximately 20 hectares 
of intensive irrigated alfalfa cultivation, and a few groves of young date 
palms in sand desert. 
The Saar burial mounds cover an area of approximately 210 hectares, 
consisting of a complex of ancient stone burial mounds in sparsely 
vegetated and thinly grassed sand and stone desert. 
Observations 
A shortage of available observers hampered observations. For instance, 
no attempt was made to observe roosting habits. This section summa- 
rises the observations made at the various localities. 
Qurrayah 
Thirteen Dotterels were first seen on 26 December, standing in the open 
desert. Close approach on foot was not possible, the birds walking ahead 
of watchers before taking flight into the cover of cultivation on a neigh- 
bouring farm 300 m to the north. On 27 and 28 December, days of 
reduced visibility and strong north winds, eight were found crouching 
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