comments:
Buy a Sibley Field Guide. You can buy it used on Amazon or check eBay, too. Flip through this at your leisure; I like to study birds in my field guide before bed! Download the Merlin app. This will be primarily what you use when you go out looking for birds. It’s made by Cornell University and is the holy grail of bird apps. Find some inexpensive used binoculars on Facebook Marketplace. You shouldn’t have to spend more than $50. You do not need to buy brand new $200 binoculars. I’d recommend looking for binoculars with the numbers “8x42” or “10x42” on them. But anything that will get you outside works! Then go outside! Your backyard, or a local park is great place to start. Listen for birds, and try and find them in your binoculars. Notice the colors, beak shape, and behavior. If you scroll through the Merlin app, you may be able to find out which bird you’re looking at :) And that’s where all the fun begins! If you have a local Audubon society, they’re likely to host free weekly bird walks that you could attend. You can absolutely figure out this hobby on your own, but it always helps a little to have someone help at first! If you want, you can message me and I’d be happy to share my WhatsApp if you ever want to ask bird questions or send pictures for help IDing!