I don't watch birds -professionally-, but I do enjoy watching them in my free time.  I used to live in Alaska, and my mom is a big fan of birds.  So she'd have tons of bird feeders (for feed or suet), and it would attract dozens of birds.  My grandfather was the same way, and I've acquired quite a few bird encyclopedias.

I can recognize many, many types of birds, though usually only by appearance.  Very few can I recognize by song.

It kind of sucks that I live in the big city now, as there's not much variety here.

I'd say getting a bird feeder is a good way to start, but it also depends on where you live and what kinds of birds frequent the area.  Although most birds will go for ordinary bird seed, there are some that have more interest in suet or special mixes.

If you'd like to get into it professionally or join any clubs, there are lots of ways to do that.    For one, you can try meetup.com.  As long as you're careful, the site is just awesome for finding groups of people with similar interests in your area.  I haven't visited the site in quite some time, but I remember finding lots of bird watching groups within driving distance.  They would post where they were meeting and at what time, and all you had to do was show up.    I you used something like meetup.com, you could find someone who could show you the ropes and tell you more about clubs you can join.

You could also try subscribing to some magazines. Those are always chalked full of information!

Totts, come on now. You're an Elite, you should know this doesn't go in Cafe Corner!