Vikings were probably the very best sailors of their time.
They knew the tides and how to use them to take their ships where they wanted to go. They knew how to steer by the light of the stars and by the direction in which the winds blew in different parts of the world. They had one other trick to help the find their way at sea.
The secret was in the birds they always took with them when they sailed out of sight of land. If the ship’s captain wanted to know if land was not too far over horizon, one of the pigeon-like birds would be set free.
It would climb higher and higher, circling the mast. If the bird could not see land, it would give up and return to the ship.
For a better way to spot land, man would have to wait for the invention of the telescope many hundreds of years later.
Related Posts
-
Why Do Some Birds Steal Food From Other Birds?
Nobody likes to think that something as beautiful as a bird can also be a thief, but it is true. Many birds steal food from other birds. Quite a few different kinds of…
-
How Do Birds Sleep and Why Don’t Birds Fall Off Their Perches When They Sleep?
Birds don't have to work at not falling off their perches when they sleep. Tendons on the bottom of their feet, called flexor tendons, respond to pressure from a branch or other perch…
-
Why Do Birds Reuse Their Nests Every Year and Do Baby Birds Reuse Their Parent’s Nests?
Birds often do reuse their nests, not always and not all birds. But the phoebe is a perfect example of a species that uses the same nest from year to year. It is…
-
What Do Birds Do In a Hurricane and Where Do Birds Go During Hurricane Season?
A number of authorities agree that birds do not get any special storm warnings before a hurricane that allow them to avoid it. In fact, bird-watchers find that oceanic birds often fly before…
-
Do Birds Become Dependent On Bird Feeders and Will the Birds Starve If the Bird Feeder Is Empty?
Unless you live on a farm in the middle of Nebraska and the nearest house is thirty miles down the road, birds do not become dependent on you as a sole source of…
-
How Do Birds Sleep Without Falling Out of Trees and Do Birds Sleep Laying Down or Standing Up On Perches?
Birds have a nifty tendon arrangement in their legs which help them sleep when they are perched. The flexor tendon from the muscle in the thigh reaches down over the knee, continues down…
