A nod to John Belushi
-
- May
- 31
I hear “Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheese” whenever the Carolina wren who hangs out behind my house lets loose with his song. The accepted “voice text” of this little bird’s loud song is “teakettle, teakettle, teakettle.”
I’m not sure what my interpretation signifies, whether it’s just affection for cheeseburgers or a remnant holdover in my brain from the Saturday Night Live skit. Unfortunately, that clip doesn’t seem to be on the Web. Here’s a transcript from a Larry King program on CNN, a tribute to John Belushi that included a clip of the skit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do they stop serving breakfast?BELUSHI: No, no breakfast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No breakfast? I just want a couple of eggs.
BELUSHI: No breakfast. Cheeseburger, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don’t want a cheeseburger.
BELUSHI: Come on, come on, come on, don’t give me that. Come on, let’s go. Let’s go. You want a cheeseburger? Everybody get cheeseburger. You want cheeseburger?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don’t want a cheeseburger. It’s too early for a cheeseburger.
BELUSHI: Too early for cheeseburger? Look, cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger…
Anyway, for those not familiar with the birding world, words or phrases have been put to many bird songs as a way to remember and identify a species by sound. White-throated sparrows cry out “Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.” The Canadians among us might hear “O Sweet Canada, Canada.” Ovenbirds call for “teacher, teacher, teacher.”
The other thing that always strikes me about the Carolina wren in my yard is how loud the song is for such a tiny bird.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, May 31st, 2007 at 12:31 pm by Mike Risinit.
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Journal News staff writer Greg Clary writes Earth Watch, reporting on environmental issues in the lower Hudson region. Clary has been a reporter, editor and columnist at the Journal News since 1988 and has covered police and courts, transportation, municipal government, development and the environment in the Lower Hudson Valley, among other topics. 
Laura Incalcaterra covers the environment, open space and zoning and planning issues for The Journal News. A Boston College graduate, Laura grew up in Rockland, attended East Ramapo schools and has worked for The Journal News since 1993. Laura has written features and covered North Rockland, crime, government and a host of other issues.
Mike Risinit covers Patterson and Kent in Putnam County, as well as environmental topics touching on the Hudson River and the Great Swamp. Risinit has been a reporter at The Journal News since 1998.
