Quail season brings rare treat for meat-starved Gazans Before dawn, on the Mediterranean shore of Gaza, 19-year-old Maher Shamalakh shivers in the early morning chill. Since the beginning of September, he has been occupied with the daily task of feeding his family members. It is the migration season of the common quail, and Maher has spread his 50-metre-long nets along the seashore, waiting for his migratory guests, which have flown from Europe, to alight on the Gaza shore, or continue further inland. “I inherited this job from my grandfather, who did it for 40 years,” says the young man as he pushes the remainder of his net into a hand-made wooden stand. The common quail is a tiny bird from the pheasant family - Phasianidae - common in Europe, similar to the Japanese quail, but with a very distinct call. The sun is not yet up, but there is just enough light for Shamalakh to see. He sits quietly on an empty UNRWA-printed flour sack, wearing a white Adidas pu...