Camp Songs

[AnneinMpls 10]

Obviously there are many many different species of buzzards in different parts of the country.

My head is spinning now as my research into the fabled Chartreuse Buzzards takes on the proportions of a quest for the Sangraal. (Those playing the home game may remember my birding interests began sometime ago with one handsome fish and wildlife ranger teaching our then Brownies all about woodducks, but I digress...)

Buzzard is most likely from the French word Busard, the French term for hawk. English settlers may have mistakenly called the vultures here buzzards, while in Europe a buzzard is a hawk.

Given the difficulty of tracking these common names, I was unable to find ornithological mention of a Chartreuse buzzard, until I stumbled upon a french birding site, detailing encounters with hawks (buzzards) in the area of the Chartreuse mountain range in Grenoble. Is it possible that this song is of French origin? I have continued my research. Using an eclectic approach to research methodology, I elected to attempt approximating the evolution of the song from its theorized French origins, by singing the song repeatedly in many different French accents as well as attempting reverse translation (cf. Trois Chartreuse Busards, zitting in zee dead tree. Vun flew avay - vhat a shame!) Thus far my results are both inconclusive and unsatisfactory.

Submitted for publication May 7, 2006

Anne Varberg (zitting in zee dead tree in Minneapolis)