providing animal and vegetable food and nest-building material, allowing birds 
to live there that otherwise would not. 
Other biological papers include two on mammals, one on reptiles and amphibi- 
ans, and one on freshwater fishes; the rest of the faunal papers deal with 
invertebrates. As an arid-land study, the Royal Geographical Society's project 
was uniquely intense, large-scale and multi-disciplinary, and it is a credit to the 
organisers and authors that the large amoimt of results gathered have been 
written up, edited and published so quickly. For such a well-produced volume, 
the price is good value. Copies are obtainable for £40 from the RGS, 1 Kensington 
Gore, London SW7 2AR, England, or from The Office of Conservation of the 
Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, PO Box 246, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, 
price 25 Omani Rials surface mail. 
Mike Evans 
Birdwatching in Eilat. By David Yekutiel, International Bird watching 
Centre Eilat. 33 pages: 29 colour; 5 black and white; 3 maps. Price inc. 
p&p US $7,50. Orders to M. Vaknine, IBCE, PO Box 774, Eilat 88000, 
Israel. 
A warm welcome for this stylish little guide to birdwatching in one of the West 
Palearctic's top locations. 
Despite containing only 33 pages, Birdwatching in Eilat is packed full of useful 
information. Well written and produced, the guide entices the reader with 
chapters on the natural features of the region, resident birds and the phenome- 
non of bird migration over this continental crossroad. When and where to watch 
birds in Eilat is again clear and concise, and I particularly liked the schedule of 
ornithological 'events', migratory species' occurence on a monthly basis. The 
site-by-site guide and accompanying maps provide the birder with enough tips, 
directions and notable species to provide both a successful and enjoyable trip. 
With the ever-increasing number of birdwatchers visiting Eilat, it is perhaps 
understandable to include a rather sensible code of conduct. This leads into the 
comprehensive checklist to the birds recorded in Eilat: 413 so far. I note with 
interest the inclusion of 'split' Armenian Gull Larus armenicus and Oriental 
Warbler Phylloscopus humei. The generous use of some superb photographs, 
many in the hand, entices you further. 
The book is good value for money and a guide that I would recommend to both 
new and experienced birders visiting the area. The proceeds from the sales of 
this guide will be devoted to the conservation and research of birds in Eilat. 
S M Andrews 
Midwinter Waterfowl Census, Turkey January 1989. By Lieuwe J Dijksen 
and Anne-Marie Blomert WIWO report 31. DFL 7,50. 
This is the fourth report of its kind published by WIWO and is the result of their 
first joint census with DHKD. As the data build up over the years, the compari- 
sons become most interesting. 
The most worrying trend is the sudden and dramatic decrease in the numbers of 
dabbling ducks recorded: a reduction of 82% in teal numbers from over 100,000 
in 1986 to 13,400 this time is worth further study. By comparison, diving ducks 
and coots have fared well. 
The winter of 1989 was particularly hard in Turkey, with Central Anatolia 
29 
