One of our volunteers, Paul, came up with the collective noun for a group of Spoonbills, namely a canteen of Spoonbills. Good one ! Other collective nouns I know of are a murder of Crows and a deceit of Lapwings. So what would be the collective noun for a group of Peregrines ? Any suggestions ?
According to a fairly reliable sources the collective noun for all falcons is a 'cast of falcons'.
among other collectives are:
descent of woodpeckers, charm of goldfinches, an exultation of skylarks, a mutation of thrushes ( seems a bit harsh), an unkindness of ravens (!!!?), a bouquet of pheasants ( try giving them on valentines day instead of roses), a congregation of plovers, a fling of dunlin, a kettle of hawks, a wake of buzzards, a herd of curlew, a parliament of owls.
Some of these birds have more than one term used in the collective sense this is probably regional.
Simon
In reply to Simon Harris:
Hi Si,
Thanks for that info. My favourites amongst those are a charm of Goldfinches and a parliament of owls. I still think we can do better than a cast of falcons - I think the Peregrine warrants something a bit more dramatic. . .!
In reply to racheldownham:
I agree a cast is bit tame, at the moment I think 'a vanishing of peregrines' is appropriate, though not good PR.
Si
Hiya Rachel,
My favourite is definitely a Business of ferrets, although I also like a murmuration of starlings and a husk of hares :) There is also a Cadge of Peregrines, but this also doesn't really fit for me, they hardly cadge their food!
In reply to Gayna:
Hi Gayna, Thanks ! I really like ferrets - good one ! I didn't know the collective noun for hares was a husk - hope you liked the latest blog entry. Apparently the Peregrines were seen last week - that's good to know. Can't wait for next year !
*bump* How about a Pippin of Peregrines? As in the nickname of Peregrin Took out of Lord of the Rings?
Also, over the hill at Buckton Castle there's the site of an old beacon- in the film, Pippin lights the beacon in Gondor...
...sorry, I think I might have put rather too much thought into this ;)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyduncan/
In reply to AndyD:
Hi Andy,
I'm liking it ! You're in safe company as I can reveal that there are a few Lord of the Rings geeks amongst the RSPB Dove Stone team who shall remain nameless !!!
A pippin of Peregrines it is from now on...
Yay! Glad you like it :)
To be honest, I've only seen the films a couple of times, and never read the books!