How do I get started in birding?

I'm not sure that I'm currently prepared to get as involved with bird watching as you yourself are, however for someone who wishes to take it up as a light hobby where would you suggest I start?
                                                                                                       --George

1. Set up birdfeeders in your backyard.
     The most convenient place to look for birds is right around your house. You don't even have to go outside; you can just sit by the window and see what shows up. Of course, this will not get the variety or quantity of birds you would find in richer, more expansive habitat, but it's a good start. Consider a variety of different birdfeeder types: different designs are better suited for different species. Tube feeders are good for most perching birds, including finches, cardinals, and sparrows. Sock feeders are specifically aimed at goldfinches, but other species will occasionally use them. To attract woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches, put out a suet feeder. Suet feeders are especially good in winter, when birds need the extra fat and protein.
     Whatever type of feeder you put up, make sure it is at least squirrel-resistant, if not squirrel-proof. They tend to eat a lot and make you have to buy birdseed and suet more often.

A Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) on a tube feeder. There is also a sock feeder hanging in the upper left-hand corner of the photo.

A Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) on a suet feeder.

2. Go birding with a group.
     A big component of birding is noticing the birds in the first place. Some species will be obvious and out in the open or show up at birdfeeders, but a lot will not be immediately apparent because you don't know what you're looking for. In the time before I birded with the Champaign County Audubon Society (CCAS), I never saw a Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedorum). At the first CCAS event I attended, one of the older birders showed me a flock of them through a spotting scope. Once I learned which sounds to listen for and the waxwings' overall appearance, I started seeing them all over the place, even in my own backyard. They're actually a fairly common bird; they're just not one most non-birders see.
     More experienced birders can also help you with the next two steps...

 

Little Arch needed help finding the birds.

Now not-so-little Arch helps other people find the birds.

3. Learn a few birds.
     There is a set of birds (robins, cardinals, House Sparrows, etc) that you probably know and can identify because they show up in easy-to-see places rather frequently. Then there are birds (cuckoos, mockingbirds, thrushes) that you might know the name of, but wouldn't be able to identify in the field because you have no accurate image to attach that name to. Then there are birds (vireos, kinglets, thrashers) that you haven't really heard of before (unless I was blathering about them) even though they're relatively abundant around here. These are the birds you need to start learning and seeing. I recommend going to the library and finding a "First Field Guide" or similar book geared towards children, since these will include a few species of birds that you are likely to see without confusing you with illustrations of endless similar-looking species you'd only see on the Alaska coast or along the Rio Grande.
     Identifying a bird is much more than looking for patterns in the plumage; in many cases, behavior and/or sound will be the faster way to an ID. The problem is, these can't be accurately described in a book. To learn all the little quirks of a bird, you have to see it in the wild. The more you see it in the wild, the better you know what it looks, acts, and sounds like, and the faster you can identify it. An article I saw in Birdwatching magazine had a good way of describing this: you are no longer identifying the bird, but recognizing it.
     Also check out online resources like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Geographic's Backyard Bird Identifier.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Backyard Bird Identifier

Learn to identify these two species, at least.

4. Practice using binoculars.
     I can't stress this enough. Birds are always more exciting (and easier to identify) when you get a great look at them, and most birds aren't going to come close enough for you to see every minute detail with the naked eye. Binoculars seem like a simple enough concept; you aim them at what you want to look at, then adjust the focus until you get a clear image.
     Unfortunately, many birds aren't going to give you time to adjust the focus even if you can aim the binoculars at them in the first place. With warblers and other small birds, by the time you get your binoculars pointed at where it was when you last saw it, the bird will be somewhere else. So you have to be fast, and accurate, when you aim.
     My recommendation as far as focusing is that even if you can't see the bird, set the focus to the distance you expect the bird to be at so you'll be ready the next time it pops back up into view. Many birds spend time on the edge of their habitats, especially warblers who like sunlit undergrowth. If you already have your binoculars focused on the hedge that's 30 feet away, you won't have to do too much adjustment when the bird shows up somewhere on that hedge.
     When aiming binoculars, the usual advice is to look at the bird and then raise the binoculars to your eyes without looking away from what you intend to view.
     As with learning to identifying birds, this takes practice. And you get more practice by doing more birding.

5. Go birding at a local park (by yourself, or with friends).  
     The second most convenient place to go birding is a nearby park that is easily accessible and has a fair amount of habitat. You can find a fair number of species without having to stray too far from your neighborhood. Keep in mind, however, that not all parks are created equal. Here are some rankings of parks in the CU area (some rankings, in italics, are based on the reports of other birders or are purely hypothetical, since I have not done serious birding at all of these locations):
     Excellent: Crystal Lake Park/Busey Woods, Meadowbrook Park, U of I Arboretum, Weaver Park, Kaufman Lake/Heritage Park, Curpros Pond (40.067508, -88.257793)
     Good: Robeson Park (along the stream), Colbert Park (only during waterfowl migration), Burwash Park, Mattis Park, Hessel Park, Woodland Park, Centennial Park, Carle Park, Southridge Park
     Fair: Wheatfield Park, Blair Park, Eisner Park
     Meh: Morrissey Park, Clark Park, Prairie Park, Zahn Park
     Bleah: Anything not listed previously.
     If you dispute any of these rankings, please email me.
     As for those of you who live in Cherry Hills, too bad. Your local park option, Millage Park, is incredibly ecologically dead, rivaling Colbert Park in the middle of summer. You're much more likely to see something in your yard than at Millage, especially if you have birdfeeders or lakefront property.


6. See birds. Have fun.
Seems self-explanatory to me.