"Please do not fear the birders"

A letter written by Richard A. Danca in Newton, Mass., likely needs to appear in many newspapers and on websites far and wide before the annual Christmas Bird Count begins on Dec. 14. The letter might dispel some unease and prevent incidents such as the arrest of birder Paul Peterson of Boston last January.

Danca wrote:

Please don't panic if you see people with binoculars tramping around the week before Christmas, even if it feels like they're peering into your windows. It's only birders (birdwatchers, if you must) participating in the annual Christmas Bird Count, looking for every bird they can find, even the ones in your back yard.

He also provided the URL for National Audubon Society's CBC information and ended his letter with an invitation of sorts: "Even if you don't feel like counting birds, you could help by ensuring that your bird feeders are full."