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I just realized no one has asked you where you live! All these answers are pretty much North America centric as I am assuming that is where you live.

Everyone has mentioned Sibley (who is pretty much my idol) but there a couple other books that might be interesting to you as well. I would definitely recommend his field guide over his full guide for you.

• The Birder's Handbook is an interesting browse-y sort of read; it has both essays and species info in it. There are so many interesting tidbits to pick up in there.
  
  
• Hope is the Thing with Feathers by Christopher Cokonis is a very interesting and sad read about recently extinct bird species of North America. It is somewhat painful to read--as a birder--because you will never be able to see any of those species in the field but it is a wonderful look at how we both see and have seen birds.
  
  
• Nat Geo's Birding Essentials is a good place to sort of "learn the language" of birding. I don't like their field guides as much as I like Sibley's but this book is quite good at covering a range of birding subjects for the beginner.
  
  Another good idea would be getting a hold of regional field guide or an American Bird Association (ABA) list for your area. It would help you to narrow down the species you are likely to be looking at. Using a field guide full of incidentals/rare/crosses/sub-species can be confusing for a new birder so a smaller list can help you pinpoint which species you should be flipping through your book to look at. You can often find these lists at state and county parks. Your state/local DNR site is a great place to find birding resources in your area!
  
  My favorite bird is the Ovenbird! They are fat and stripey and seriously loud for being sort of cagey undergrowth dwellers. I often log them on my bird lists without ever seeing one because their loud calls are unmistakable (and often unending). They aren't impressive or majestic but they are pretty cute with their stripey orange mohawks.
  

Many songbirds are insectivores, so consider "growing" a birdfeeder -- no, don't grow bugs (!!) but grow native species that support bugs. These could be any plants that attract insect pollinators, spiders, or other kinds of delicious bird grub. (Insect larvae is arguably the most important protein source for birds and comprise most of what bird parents feed to their young.)

For example: oak trees have been shown to support over 400 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies/moths) and consequently are extremely important for migrating birds (who get energy from eating the larvae supported by the oak leaves).

I would check out Doug Tallamy's great book Bringing Nature Home to learn more about the benefits of native plants to birds and other native wildlife.

You can also grow "berry birdfeeders" (cherry trees, cedar trees, raspberry bushes, wild strawberries, etc) to attract berry-eating birds like thrushes and cedar waxwings.
If you plant berry-growing woody plants or trees, these double as shelter for the birds -- making your backyard a more suitable habitat overall!

Good luck!!

Edit: Added the line about the importance of insect larvae

Edit 2:
More about native plants that attract birds (Midwest US)

I'd recommend picking up a good field guide and just having fun trying to identify the birds you see around your area. The variety presented in a field guide will seem daunting at first, but it'll quickly become easier as you familiarize yourself with the common families and learn to narrow down the possibilities by range, habitat, behavior, etc. The two major fields guides are by Pizzey & Knight and Simpson & Day. The Pizzey & Knight served me well a few years ago when I was down under. As for a general interest guide, I can only recommend this one, but it's North America-centric. I don't know if there's a good counterpart for Australasia. An excellent way to learn more is to join field trips organized by your local bird club. Plenty of birders would be happy to show you the ropes. If you want to get serious about the hobby, you'd also want to get yourself a good pair of binoculars. Australia's a really fun place to go birdwatching because of its unique and exotic bird life. You're gonna have lots of fun, so get out there and look at some birds!

The absolute best I've found in the $100 price point (okay, maybe $110) that are also waterproof is the Leupold Yosemite. They're not quite the power you're looking for (8x30), but they are so clear and bright I find that it hardly matters. Also they are very compact, which I love when I'm hiking or paddling with them. Honestly, I haven't found any waterproof 10x binoculars in the $100 range that I would be happy with. They tend to be too dark or just poor quality. If you're coming from a 10x25 setup, I think you'd be impressed by an 8x40. 10x25 magnifies, yes, but doesn't let enough light in.

The Yosemite can be found at many national chain stores, so it should be easy to put your hands on a pair before buying, which is always a good idea with optics. In my region, Dick's Sporting Goods always has them in stock. Cabelas also carries them if you're lucky enough to be near one of those.

I think the best way to learn about birds is to actually watch them, so I'd recommend finding your nearest nature sanctuary to see if they have birdwatching walks/classes. If you're in North America, the Audubon Society is a great organization that runs bird sanctuaries and teaches people about birds. There are similar organizations in other regions - you'll just need to do a little online searching. There are also loads of books to help you get started, like this one.

You can also learn a lot about birds online. Cornell University provides online ornithology courses, but they also provide tons of free info about North American birds and their nests, global bird sightings, and more.

I started learning about birds by reading books, and there are plenty of great options. Visit your local library to see what they have. Books cover everything from identification to intelligence to falconry.

What kinds of birds are you particularly interested in? Is there any aspect of birds that you find most fascinating, like anatomy, flight, song, color...?

Hey, just wanna update if you are interested, if not just ignore this :P.

Anyways i got my monoscope(i think thats what its called for what i got) yesterday.

It's pretty small. I tested it by looking at cars and people downstairs on my flat. I'm at 8th floor and the horizontal distance would probably be 150m~. I can see the cars quite sharply but can't see number plates.

However, when i look at people, it's just a blur, can't even see their faces. Don't see how it would help me view animals or other animate objects.

And the monoscope i got, i moved its object lens barrel and somehow it got stuck, and i took 30minutes to finally get it moving again, by removing the barrel and putting it back.

When i removed the barrel, i accidentally cleaned some grease and when i placed it back, it was not able to move smoothly, which meant that when i'm trying to adjust the object barrel lens when viewing, it's impossible. It moves roughly, doesn't slide anymore.

The focus lens was super super easy to adjust, so when i'm trying to adjust something else such as barrel lens or zoom i would accidentally touch it, and things go differently, need to readjust all.

It basically just magnifies images that i could already see with my spectacles.

Looking at it through one eye is super straining and gives me dizzyness after extensive use.


I'm thinking of returning it and upgrading to buying a more binoculars instead. Thinking binoculars would be more comfortable for my eyes.

Might purchase this , still looking at more options, maybe even going for an even pricier one. I quite enjoyed the feeling of seeing far objects.

If you can swing just a little more than $200, the Vortex Diamondback 10x42 are a solid choice.

I just picked up a pair of Zeiss Terra ED 10x42 for $399 (no tax and free shipping) through Amazon. Previously, I had the Nikon Prostaff 7 10x42 that I had picked up at REI for $180 in June of 2013.

The Nikon's had been great for the year they lasted. Keep in mind I bird most every day. The Binoculars had a lot of use and abuse. The focus nob came un-glued from the focus wheel. The right eye cup came un-glued as well, but would still stay on. I sent them to Nikon and they're being replaced under warranty.

I've had my Zeiss for about 2 weeks now and I'm really enjoying their entry level binos. They're just a bit lighter than my Nikon's were. They focus very quickly and are very comfortable to hold and look through.

Hope that helps, and good luck deciding on a pair. So much to choose from out there.

Well, one of the classics is The Herring Gull's World by Niko Tinbergen.

I've heard good things of Gifts of the Crow but never read it.

Migrating Raptors of the World is a fantastic book that everyone should read, and I am totally not biased by knowing the author. It's a little more ornithological than the other two, which are intended for the intelligent general public. It's an excellent synthesis of all the relevant research, and both easy to read and written at a fairly high level.

Bildstein has a decent book that can be dry at times, but packed with good information.

Another decent one is by Scott Weidensaul here that rumor has it may be updated soon.

Eagle watchers is a good one that is a little more focused towards the people investigating the raptors, but still lots of good info.

Buteo books has a ton of species-specific books that talk about species like Golden Eagles, Merlins, etc.

I highly, highly recommend David Sibley's Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. It gives you a tremendous range of information about what are essentially ornithological subfields (evolution, migration, nesting, etc.), but written in a bright and accessible way. Plus with lots of Sibley's lovely illustration!

I might add that although it uses (mostly) North American birds as examples, the general information and insights will be true for all birders everywhere.

Allaboutbirds.org is good for taxonomy.

I don't know of any books besides (expensive) textbooks that would be inclusive. My suggestion would be to see what recent ornithology books your library has. I think if the book is fairly recent and understandable to you, then it would good.
If someone else has a better book suggestion, you could always do the interlibrary loan thing.

If you do want a textbook, I've seen this one used a fair amount.

If you're at all interested in the anatomy and structure of birds, the Manual of Ornithology is something I would definitely recommend.

I think I have an older Sibley's, but certainly would never hurt to pick up a newer edition.

And do you suggest any other books I should collect? I was eying this one, but I'm going to see if I can find something at my local book store.

The Birder's Handbook is a great ornithology primer.

Check your library for Gill's Ornithology. It's pretty much the gold standard on the topic.

Gill's 3rd edition is what I used for ornithology subjects and it is great, very broad.

There's an out of print book called Population limitation in birds by Ian Newton which has loads of info from research up until the early 90s on mating systems, predator-prey relationships etc.

Sounds like you may want to check out the Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior.

I have used Ornithology by Frank B. Gill.

It looks like this: https://www.amazon.com/Ornithology-Frank-B-Gill/dp/0716749831

The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior is a good starting place. It's not as technical as the more academic textbooks, but is much more detailed than some of the other recommendations.