When did your “spring is finally here” birds arrive? At my house, spring came Monday, April 29.

This past weekend I was lucky enough to get in on an overnight junket to the island of Penikese, at the far end of the Elizabeths chain, courtesy of Dr. Andrew Gillis of the Marine Biological Lab and our hosts, the Penikese School.

The first hummingbird was reported on the Cape, as expected for mid-April, but this eagerly anticipated annual event was overshadowed by spring overshoot fever — southerly winds brought, well, a windfall of rare birds to the Cape and Islands.

April isn’t my favorite month in the birding calendar, especially when its weather barely outperforms bleakest March, but it has its charms – the first hummingbirds and seabird migration among them.

This week on The Bird Report: leaf litter, to leave or not to leave?

You probably haven’t seen anything in the news about it, but I have reliable intel that a royal has quietly taken up residence on Cape Cod. In the Sagamore area, away from the gaze of paparazzi, a prince is spending some time along the canal and trying to blend in with the locals.

This week on The Bird Report, sometimes birds take the wrong exit off the freeway.

On two occasions over the last week I found myself driving slowly around some back streets in Yarmouth Port, craning my neck, looking like a cat burglar casing the neighborhood. Or more likely around here, an overly aggressive realtor looking to pounce on a potential new listing.

As the season of mud settles in, this seems like a good time to talk about one if its biggest stars. This worm slurping dumpling of a bird dances its way back into our lives each March, when the aerial displays of the male become staple program fodder for nature centers and bird clubs everywhere.