On the way home from work today I stopped off at the Loehman's Plaza Safeway, a few blocks east of the intersection of Randolph Road and Parklawn in Rockville. It's not my usual grocery store, and I was surprised to see something other than the standard house sparrows, starlings, and crows in the parking lot. In the bare upper branches of a struggling Norway maple on the left edge of the parking lot (if you stand facing Randolph), there is an Eastern Kingbird nest! My first time seeing a kingbird--both the male and female were hanging around, seeming a little perplexed at my (whispered) exclamations of happiness. The female was sitting IN the nest but did not appear to be sitting ON it--no eggs yet, I don't think. It looked quite comfy, if unkempt--lots of bits of string hanging down, little bits of carpet fluff/insulation, grasses, etc. The male was in a nearby tree. 

I didn't watch them too long since I didn't want to make them nervous, but they seemed quite oblivious to the Rockville standstill rush-hour traffic mere yards away.  I was reading that E. kingbirds will spend up to seven weeks raising their young, so hopefully that means more time to observe them--but I also wish they'd chosen somewhere a little more sheltered and less conspicuous. Fingers crossed that they'll be successful parents!

Claire Nemes
Rockville, MD