On The Point, it's the monthly Bird News program, with ornithologist Mark Faherty from Wellflleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. We hear about the arrival of favorite spring migrants, such as hummingbirds, and what flowers they like best. Many birds are raising their chicks at this time, and others are still making their way North to breed. We hear from callers throughout our region with bird questions, stories and comments. Mindy Todd hosts.

This happened on the evening of our last rain storm, or what the old Cape Codders called a “tempest.” I’ve always liked that word, “tempest.” It goes back to Elizabethan times. Shakespeare used it as the title of his last play, in which the spirit Ariel says, “We are such things as dreams are made on.” Its root comes from tempus, the Latin word for time, and it connotes a great disturbance, one in which the doors between the present and the past might be suddenly flung open.

Hawaii is poised become the first state to ban certain sunscreens – not because they are bad for people necessarily, but because they’ve been implicated in the decline of coral reefs. The ban specifically targets sunscreens that contain two chemicals – oxybenzone and octinoxate. The bill is awaiting the governor’s signature.

New York State has revived a climate science committee that the Trump administration let go last summer. The group’s objective is to help local and regional officials to get the information they need to prepare and respond to impacts like heat waves, droughts, and flooding. And they’re building a network of dozens of organizations to get the job done without the federal government’s involvement.

This past week brought the first real taste of spring or maybe even summer weather. Along with the warmth came something less desirable -- air quality alerts. From Connecticut to southern Maine, ozone levels mid-week rose to what the EPA considers unhealthy for those with asthma or other lung problems.

More than 12 million people have had their DNA analyzed by direct-to-consumer genealogy tests like 23andMe and ancestry.com. That number more than doubled last year, giving the industry a huge boost.

Each month, Living Lab Radio checks in with Nature News to talk about some of the latest research headlines. This time we talk with senior reporter Lizzie Gibney at the London bureau.

The Keith Car Works was a huge factory that once stood on land that existed before the present-day Cape Cod Canal was dug out. But the name is a bit misleading, as the factory primarily made various types of wagons, and later, railroad cars. Jerry Ellis is a former Bourne selectman whose house sits about 50 yards from the canal.

New Bedford has some of the highest rates of opioid overdose-related deaths in the state, and as the toll continues to rise, the New Bedford police department is considering some new approaches.

Linda Steele reads her poem, "Tending a Tender Heart."