A parliament of owls: A day out at Hesketh Farm Park

We had a fabulous day out to Hesketh Farm Park at Bolton Abbey earlier this month, and as a farmer’s daughter, I loved it!

Hesketh Farm Park

I sometimes find that my attention span for taking on board new facts and figures is limited these days, but there was so much to take note of at Hesketh, and to learn about that I couldn’t help but come away thinking about the collective noun for owls! Not that we saw owls there, just that we learnt about the name.

The little owl below is an owl by itself, but if there were several owls together, they’d be called ‘a parliament of owls’ – what a grand term!

Little Owl Little Owl – Copyright: Simon Philpotts, www.wilddales.org.uk

But why is a group of owls called a parliament?

Collective nouns usually derive their name from some of the characteristics of the group they define.  Owls are often considered to have a wise disposition, so if several owls gathered together I guess that would mean much wisdom all in one place – hence the choice of the word ‘parliament’ to describe them.

On the wall in a corner of the barn at Hesketh there were ever so many collective nouns for animals and birds, such as…a ‘troop of horses’ and a ‘school of fish’.  It was fun to read them and expand my knowledge of collective nouns for animals and birds, from the basics I knew already of a ‘herd of cows’ and a ‘flock of sheep’.

Hesketh 1

We enjoyed seeing the big tractor outside and watching the chickens walk in and out of their huts.

Chickens at Hesketh

We walked around the grounds to see the donkeys, horses and the fabulous views.  The setting is stunning.

Walking at Hesketh

Hesketh

The playground and swings were good fun too and as the morning went on the extensive picnic area soon started to fill up.

We ate inside the barn, making use of a high chair and the facilities to warm up baby food, which all worked very well.  Not to mention, taking a little ride on a tractor!

Tractor

Hesketh Farm Park is a thoroughly enjoyable family day out.  We are looking forward to anorther fun visit soon and perhaps remembering a couple more facts and figures to take home with us too!

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