Since I'm new to Birding myself, I figure I will give some basic information and resources here for people that are interested in getting started. This is just a crude starting point for people interested in birding. A great source of information will be the first few pages of your field guides, that discuss and define birding, and give basics on bird anatomy, plumage, north american geographical regions, etc.
Binoculars- You will need a pair of binoculars to really appreciate the birds you are seeing. This may seem obvious, but I didn't really have a decent pair of binoculars until several months into birding. I was using a camera as a monocular and photographing birds! There are many good pages out there on binocular basics, but I would recommend 8x40 or 10x40 "Roof Prism" binoculars.
Field Guide- This is a must. I cheaped out at the begining and bought the cheapest one at the bookstore, the ROM field guide. Save time and headache and buy the Sibley Eastern Field guide (or whatever best represents your region). Many great websites and smartphone apps are available to complement the information in your field guide. For example, if you are trying to identify a bird, a good field guide would help, but so will this site: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse/ac.
Camera- There are some really good debates on getting a great camera and telephoto zoom lens vs digiscoping (which involves using a cheaper point-and-shoot camera and pairing that up with a good spotting scope). There is only so much one can carry out into the field ... right? An interesting thing about cameras is that some people photograph birds for the sake of photographing them, but I've done it to study them later. Great birders are known to sketch birds in a notebook, but for those who are not good at drawing, a camera is a great tool to have to document what you are seeing.
Spotting Scope- I still do not have a scope, and I find that one would be handy on so many occasions. In particular, to study shorebirds, gulls, distant perched birds, 10x binoculars might not have enough power. An example need I had just this week was a rumoured Northern Shrike on a certain road in the county. I had pulled over and thought I saw a bird with my binoculars, but I just couldn't identify it with binoculars. If I had a scope in my trunk, it would have been no problem. The reason that I don't have a scope yet is because I don't want to buy a cheap one, and my wife would kill me if I spent $3000 on one. I'm still paying off my mortgage!
Nature enthusiast groups- I've learnt so much from joining various groups. The Ojibway Nature Center in Windsor, the Essex County Field Naturalists and the Ontario Field Ornithologists are great groups to consider joining as a birder.
Use Technology in Birding - Create an E-bird account at http://ebird.org/content/canada , and also, join the Ontbirds Email Listserve - http://www.ojibway.ca/ontbirds.htm . Don't believe these are useful? Check out this link out. It shows bar graphs of all the bird species in our county, and when each bird would be 'in season' to be seen, based on data submitted by other birders. Creating a blog, or at least a Flicker Account is always fun and a good way to share your sightings with other birders. Google Maps has been an incredible resource for me as well. Advocate for natural areas and interests.
Get outside & Get Involved- Go for walks as often as you can. Use Google Maps to see your local county's geography for wetlands, forests, tallgrass prarie... the more diverse the habitats, the more birds you will see. In Essex County, Ojibway Park, Holiday Beach and Point Pelee are the most well known areas, but any natural area closer to your home could be just as good or better depending on the time or year and weather. How can you get involved? Join a CBC (Christmas Bird Count) or bring friends/young people with you when you go birding.
Here are some great videos that are excellent at explaining some birding basics. Any reading you can do from http://www.allaboutbirds.org or from the first few pages of your birding field guide will provide an excellent primer on birding.
Habitat
Behavior
Color Patterns
Size and Shape
[*Note: This page is a work in progress, so if anyone has any suggestions on improving this page, please let me know]
