I've been slowly getting into birding. I don't know enough to say much, but here are some tools that have been helpful for me:

• eBird, a global bird database and personal logging app, from Cornell
• The Merlin ID app, also from Cornell
• The Sibley field guide (digital)
• The Peterson field guide (physical)

These were all recommended to me by someone who is much more knowledgeable about birding, so this page (as of now) is just me passing them along!