Based on this article Audubon Society Guide to Binoculars I bought these Bushnell H20 Prism and I've been really happy with them. I paid $92 in January but it looks like now they're down to $70 (on Amazon).

This gets asked pretty often in this sub, so do a search, but here's what I shared last time:

Based on this article Audubon Society Guide to Binoculars I bought these Bushnell H2O Roof Prism ones and I've been really happy with them. I paid $92 in January but it looks like now they're down to $80 (on Amazon).

I just came here to look for a thread like this. (Knew there had to be an r/birding - subscribed!)

I literally just bought these on Amazon.com I'll let you know how they work but after reading this thread and so much more, I think I made a good choice for $80.00.

I like using the eBird app, with the Merlin app (they're both from The Cornell Lab). They'll help you identify and log the birds you see. Merlin is like Shazam for bird sounds. The eBird app will also tell you what other birds have been spotted/reported in your area, so you can find "hotspots" that have a lot of sightings.

Binoculars are a great idea. You don't have to spend a lot of money (they can get into the thousands). I got a pair that were highly rated by Consumer Reports for under $100 and I really like them: Bushnell H20 Roof Prism binoculars

EDIT: looking on eBird it seems like Toledo Memorial Park is a good place to explore. In the last 7 days people have logged 23 different species of birds.