The red-backed shrike - the male.
These small birds of prey are among my favourites in the local bird world and I will be posting a selection of my photos from the last few weeks over the next few days.
Traverse Board, 18th -19th century
Simple traverse boards were used in northern Europe by the 16th century to keep a record of a ship’s movements. They were circular and had a series of holes along lines marking the 32 points of the compass. Pegs were attached to the board by string and placed in the correct hole for the course being steered, normally one hole for each half hour of the watch, as measured by a sand-glass.
At the end of each watch the records were written down, usually by the ship’s master, and the pegs pulled out ready for the next watch.
