I think I can address the 'why' part of your question: Why do people associate these events (for example, mass animal deaths) with 2012 (or any other apocalypse)?

The answer is: They are working backward. They have started with their conclusion (that something strange is happening) and then looking for reasons to justify that conclusion. If they worked scientifically, they would start with the data, and begin by asking a simple question: Is this unusual? The answer is "No, it's not", and if they are intellectually honest, the 'investigation' would stop at that point. But since they already have their conclusion, they continue to dig for those reasons that they are looking for, and eventually they will find them, regardless of whether or not they actually support their conclusion.

I have only one question here - I heard another news about dying birds, this time in Myrtle Beach, if my memory serves me right. Yeah, one of leading polish news site runs another site full of doom and gloom (niewiarygodne.pl, unbelievable.pl in english, sort of 'omg top secret news about HAARP, 2012 and NWO mixed in one place') and sometimes when I'm checking out news at morning with a cup of coffee I see its articles on the homepage, between politics and sport news. So that's how I found an article about another dead birds falling off from the sky.

Now I understand that these accidents have nothing to do with apocalypse, but WHY extacly poeple started to associate these accidents with all this 2012 scam? I mean, I heard many theories about the magnetic pole shift causing disorientation of birds. I know that it's not possible - if it would really hapen, we wouldn't talk about 100 or even 5000 birds in a few places on the Earth, but about a global event including millions of birds in one time. Magnetic pole can't dissapear locally for a few hours, doesn't it? Or maybe? Really, I don't know.
I just don't understand mechanism of this hysteria. I'm not even sure why I was so terribly frightened in January. I have no idea why people are connecting this with the end of the world.

No, I'm not even frightened now, to my surprise;) I was a bit upset at first ( I was like 'oh god not again'), but now I'm just curious. Yay, I'm proud of myself, a little;)

The best way against fear is education.
The more you know about the topics that scare you the better you can have it under control.

It is actually surprising that with a tiny bit of scientific knowledge and a stupid simple calculator, you can debunk 90% or even more of the Domesday claims.

Everything started in January 2011, when news about birds falling from the sky in Arkansas spread across the world and caused many irrational theories. Here in Poland, where I live, internet was full of doom & gloom theories (as everywhere, I think), mosty about the magnetic pole shift. And for the first time I was really scared. Before this accident I was rather skeptical person, ignoring all there claims about the end of world, living my own peaceful life. I don't know what extacly happened to me, what in this story was so different from other claims (maybe lack of rational explanation), but I was so damn frightened I couldn't eat or sleep, just waking up with fear and searching answers on the web all day - and I didn't find the answers. Theory about fireworks didn't work for me, I don't know extacly why.
Well, January ended and these accidents didn't occur again, world was still on its place, but I was still frightened. I had to check out the news every hour, searching with fear for something apocalyptic. My family didn't understand my fears, what caused another problems - they couldn't understand why I am sitting at home all day, panicked and never smiling. Finally I told about it to my friend and she adviced me to go to the psychiatrist.
And so I began my journey through psychiatric treatment. First med's didn't help, so I found another psychiatrist - she diagnosed schizophrenia. I was broken, it was like death sentence to me - my uncle and his sister are schizophrenics and I know how full of fear and conspiracy theories is their life. And I still had my fears. Fortunately the doctor was wrong - meds for schizophrenia didn't help me anyhow and I changed psychiatrist once again. She diagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder (caused by fears!) and prescribed meds helped me finally. My fears slightly started to disappear.

Meanwhile, when I felt more self-confident, i started searching for any rational site on the web. And I found you and that was a miracle. What can I say - your site helped me a lot with my fears and doubts. I'm still not completely sane;) so when some fears are coming back, I'm just reading your articles and fears are gone for long. I feel much better now, even though I'm still taking my meds and i have light ornithophobia, which I never had before January. Well, I'm almost myself again. I'm not in the same place I was before all this hysteria on the web, but I feel really good now, without all these fears. And I'm going back to my college.

You have really rational answers for all our woo questions here:) Thank you so much for comforting me and all of us. Keep up the good work!