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Here are five tactics which improved my birdwatching experiences over the years. I hope they'll do the same for you.

1. Act like a tree
My best tactic: stay still and let the birds come to you. You can improve your chances of seeing birds further by doing this in the right place (see tactic 5 below) - and further still by being camoflaged while you do it. Don't fool yourself that the birds won't see you, but if you're wearing sombre colours any small movements you make will be less likely to alarm them.

Some people find it worthwhile to erect a hide - a small tent is cheap and easy to set up in some spots. These have the distinct advantage that you can move around inside them quite a bit, setting up a camera or pouring a cup of tea, without upsetting the birds in the area. They also keep out the insects.

If this seems a bit extreme, you can still decrease your visibility (and increase your comfort) by bringing along a light, collapsable chair (some even double as walking sticks) and sitting quitely on it while watching for avian visitors. Even just leaning against a tree while you watch will decrease your visibility.

2. Improve your eyesight
There are two ways of doing this. One is to practice using your periferal vision.

Just as your movements will alert birds in the area to your presence, so too their movements will alert them to you. By concentrating on watching out of the corners of your eyes you will spot many more birds.

There is a technique to this which is not easy to explain, but it involves a conscious lack of focus, a determination not to see any one thing clearly, but to have an overall visual awareness of everything in your field of vision. If you want to practice this type of looking, I can highly recommend learning to juggle.

Once you've found a bird with this periferal radar, you need to focus on deatails of it's appearance, and the best way to do this is with some optical enhancement: ie. binoculars.

The best birding binoculars have the following attributes:

• They have a magnification factor of about eight times. Higher than this and you will have trouble holding them still enough (though you could use a tripod). Lower than 8x and you will need to get closer to some small birds before you can identify them (closer than they will let you get sometimes).
• They gather enough light. This is determined by the diameter of the front lenses, the larger the diameter the more detail you will see in low light. Unfortunately larger lenses are heavier and cost more to produce, and of course take up more space, so there's a trade off to be made here. I find 35mm to be adequate, but up to 50mm can be advantageous.

These two factors (magnification and lens diameter) are usually written on the binoculars, so look for something that says 8x35 and you should be in the right ballpark for good mechanically assisted birding vision.

3. Bring along a native guide
There's nothing like local knowledge. If you can team up with the local birding group, more power to you (see the links page for some pointers). Failing that, a field guide for your chosen area is invaluable. (Michael Morcombe's Field Guide to Australian Birds for example)

You will also benefit from getting a list of the species found in the area. If you're planning on a birdwatching trip in the Upper Blue Mountains, printing the 'birds for this month' list off this site would be very helpful in identification - you could also enquire for similar lists from National Parks and Wildlife offices in other parts of the country.

4. Watch with your ears
While birds may be hard to spot, they are often very easy to hear, giving out a steady stream of whistles and cries to advertise their presence to their family and friends.

Concentrating on what you can hear around you will often reveal the presence of several species which are out of eyeshot. Once heard, move slowly towards them, try to figure out why they are in a particular area and what they are doing there. This can lead to big rewards in tactic #5:

5. Find the avian ATM and stake it out
At any given time of day or year there are hotspots where certain species will want to be. In these spots you'll find resources important to the species in question.

It might be as simple as a well placed birdbath, or as spcialised as a type of insect found eating nectar off Banksia Serrata blooms during the winter months.

Whatever it is, once you identify it, your birdwatching success will be dramatically increased. Knowing when and where your subjects are going to be allows you to do more preperation - you can set up a tripod or hide knowing that it will provide a return for your efforts, or you can settle down to watch and record specific behaviour associated with the particular spot you're in.

To my mind this is the best bird watching experience, noting their mannerisms, calls and interactions while going about their day to day business.