Birding is reportedly the nation's fastest-growing hobby, with nearly 50 million Americans and soaring. You can enjoy birding if you're young or old, solitary or social, in your backyard or in a tropical paradise, counting your dollars or spending freely, a lazybones or great competitor.

Getting off the ground
Unlike other wild animals, birds are easy to see, and they get around. You can bird anywhere--even at a fast-food joint, watching sparrows make off with French fries in the parking lot. Don't worry about identifying birds at first. Enjoy their beauty, liveliness, and amusing behaviors.

Where the birds are
Birds don't hang out in classy places; sewage dumps are a favorite. But you needn't start there. Stroll along the beach, in a meadow, by a brook, or on a trail. You'll find birds on the way. One suggestion: avoid dense woods where birds remain hidden. Open areas with trees or hedges are better. Don't forget the zoo. It probably has a pond with ducks and other waterfowl, and they are used to having people around.

Get in touch with your local Audubon Society and go out with them to nearby birding spots. Check weekend listings in your local newspaper for bird club outings. Once you've met some birders, they'll be more than happy to fill you in on good birding sites.

Bag the basics
You don't need much--some inexpensive binoculars and a field guide that fits in a pocket. There are a number of popular birding guides. Birders disagree on whether drawings beat photographs for identifying birds; many experienced birders think so, but most beginners and many others prefer photographs. Take a notebook and pencil, too.

For the record
Keep a record, not just what you saw but when (year, too) and where. You'll be impressed to discover just how regular birds are in their habits. Look for that scarlet tanager atop the same tree, same time, next year. You'll also be able to settle disputes about where and when you saw that first oystercatcher. Make a note of sightings in your notebook.

A bird! Now what?
Describe the bird's features to yourself as you watch it: long, thin beak, smaller than a robin, on the ground, flicking its tail, wing bar--any guide will teach you which features matter. Watch it as long as you can. Write down your description while it's fresh. Then, look in your field guide.

Achieving recognition
To identify birds, you need a few main features:

• Size, make an estimate. Smaller or larger than a robin (10 in) is the first gauge. For larger birds, smaller or larger than a crow (17-20 in)? For smaller birds, smaller or larger than a house sparrow (5.5-6 in)? With the help of your bird guide, you can rule out a lot of look-alikes that are the wrong size.
• The beak--a telltale sign. It indicates whether the bird cracks seeds (short, thick beak), drills for grubs (long, pointed beak), picks stuff off leaves (short, thin beak), and so forth. Your bird guide can help you identify beak shapes.
• Habits. Easy to see on the ground, in the water, or in a tree? Scratching the ground, flicking its tail, walking or hopping? Sitting still, flitting from leaf to leaf, climbing the trunk, zipping off to catch a bug and returning to its post? All these behaviors are tip-offs to type.
• Markings, such as head stripes, breast stripes, caps, or wing bars. These will differentiate among warblers and sparrows. Two clear marking types are usually enough.

A few notes of caution:

• It's what you notice first, but color is unreliable. A bird's color changes dramatically in different light conditions. So don't rely on color alone when you try to identify the bird in a guide.
• Check the range. You may think you've identified the bird, but make sure it should be there. Beginning birders make amazing finds--sometimes the only example of a species to be seen in that region. Your birding guide should give ranges for different species. Make sure your bird belongs.
• Don't try to locate a bird by sound. They're ventriloquists. And don't scan the trees with your binoculars. Instead, watch for movement, then aim your binoculars. Fast. Even if you've got one of those pesky, flitting warbler species, keep trying. You'll get it.
• If you just can't spot it, forget it. Remember this rule: Any bird you didn't see was a robin.

Territorial birding
You'll probably do better hanging out with other birders at first. They'll help with identification and get you introduced to a lot of birds. But after a while you might want to find a patch near your home or workplace that you can check regularly. It can be a vacant lot or pocket park, so long as it's convenient. You'll get to know which spots your birds favor and who comes and goes. And every so often, you'll get a real surprise.

Vacation observation
Plan a vacation that includes birding. Wherever you go, check out the birding hot spots beforehand and build them into your trip. The bimonthly Bird Watcher's Digest lists vacation spots that cater to birders, and its articles by amateur birders convey the delights of this hobby.