Dona, Certainly not a silly question; more like a valid concern. A number of years back, I was in my very small townhouse backyard watching the hummingbird activity at my feeder on the fence. Directly behind the feeder was (obviously) another townhouse, whose backyard abuts ours. Apparently, the neighbors (whom I did not know) thought I was "spying" on them and began yelling across to us (my wife was with me) things like "hey what are you doing" etc. When we told them we were watching hummingbirds, they must not have believed us. After dark when I had gone back intoi the house, I was downstairs doing computer work, when I heard my wife answer the front door. It was a Montgomery County police officer, investigating a complaint from our neighbors! Anyway, my wife explained the situation, and the cop told her, basically, not to do it again, but since using binoculars in ones own yard is not against the law there was nothing he could do. Use better discretion in the future, he said. Later my wife went over to the neighbors house and explained the situation, and they were fine with it. Seems the one who instigated the whole thing was the neighbors brother, who may or may not have been living there too, and was probably feelling guilty of something anyway! So, use discretion when birding your own yard, but realize that no matter what your neighbors may think, it is still your yard, and you are doing nothing against the law. Tell them to get a life, not to flatter themselves (thinking you'd waste your time spying on them) or whatever, but don't give up your yard/neighborhood birding. I've been walking my dog and birding the "common grounds" here for so many years, that by now I have become a fixture in the neighborhood with my bins around my neck, and I'm sure most neighbors think I'm nuts. After they meet and talk with me, it only confirms their suspicions! Rick Sussman Ashton, MD Warblerick@aol.com