Getting Started in Birding
Birding is an extremely easy hobby to take up, and one that grows with you as your interest grows. You can begin by watching neighborhood birds - chickadees, robins, Stellar's Jays - whatever happens to live in your area. You can expand to look for birds that migrate, or take trips to find new an interesting birds. All you need are your eyes, your ears, and a willingness to take notice of your surroundings.
It can be helpful to have a guidebook handy when you first start birding - it will help you identify birds you're looking at, and explain how to notice the features that differentiate the bird from other similar birds. You can get this same information from the web, as well. If you have a pen and paper with you, you can make note of the characteristics of the bird while you're looking at it, and then look it up later. Key features to make note of are:
Beak Shape
Is it short and stubby? Long and pointed? Hooked? Crossed?
Feet Shape
Does it have webbed feet? Three toes? Hooked claws?
Special wing colors
Are there any odd colored spots or stripes? Does the head have any stripes or special characteristics?
Song
Is the bird making any noise? Try to describe it
These parts of a bird often help you tell apart two species that make at first glance look very similar.
Do you need binoculars? While they can be helpful, you can always bird without them. The song of the bird can distinguish many birds just as easily as staring at them through binoculars can.
The most important thing is to have fun! Birding is a great way to learn more about your environment, and can be enjoyed by both house-bound people as well as avid hikers and canoers. It's a true sport for all generations!
Birding Basics
Birding Tips and Photos
Birding Help Hints Tips and Information