Bobwhites, Blue-grays and Beach Plum Bounce

Peter Quenell writes me that he saw an adult Northern Bobwhite at the entrance to the Quogue boardwalk reserve. Eileen Schwinn and myself heard a Bobwhite calling persistently in the Tiana Beach area earlier this summer. The possibility that this once-common species may survive on the barrier beach is cheering indeed.

There were at least half a dozen Blue-gray Gnatcatchers working the shrubs and bushes at the edge of the marsh this morning but there were few other migrants. A Belted Kingfisher on the creek and a male Baltimore Oriole -- still in breeding plumage -- were other notable appearances. At this time of year, it is impossible to tell if these birds are locals or migrants.

I spent most of the morning picking Beach Plums for jam, pies and (our specialty) Beach Plum Bounce. There was a fairly good fruiting this year but the plums have ripened a full two weeks early. A sign of climate change or just within the normal range of variability for the species?

But what is Beach Plum Bounce? It is a fruit liquor, originally made with cherries and therefore known as Cherry Bounce; under this name, it goes back to 18th century New England at least and was perhaps known on Eastern Long Island as well (we originally got the recipe from a local). We have made it with Black Cherries and with Blackberries but it works very well with Beach Plums. We thought this was our invention but I have subsequently run across others who have used Beach Plums in similar fashion. The real mystery is the origins of the word 'bounce' as the name of a fruit liguor. It was a common expression two or three centuries ago but has barely survived. This usage does not appear in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and I have never been able to track down an authoritative etymology. The only explanation that I have ever heard is that if you drink too much of it, it makes you bounce up and down; this is an example of etymology at its worst. My personal theory is that it derives from the French pronunciation (via Quebec into New England) of 'punch', an old word for a fruit liquor commonly used in French as well as old English.

Eric Salzman