Staff here at the Avian Science Center spend a lot of time watching birds. Below 
are some hints that we find useful, especially if you are just getting started with birding! Cornell Lab of Ornithology also has helpful bird id tips available on their web site.
Helpful hints for beginners:
Each bird species differs from all others in important respects related to its unique mode of life (no two species occupy the same niche). The trick to identifying birds, then, is to observe in detail how the bird uses the environment. These clues are much more important than a bird's coloration pattern. Use the following guidelines to narrow your search:
1. Geographic Location: Concentrate on the species that occur in your geographic location during the current season. Field guides and local check-lists can help you gain an understanding of this.
2. Habitat Type: Which species occur in the habitat you're in? You can get general information from field guides, and more specific information from habitat relationships available from the Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program, but the best source here comes from your own field experience. When you spot a bird, jot down the habitat you found it in as well. Some species are very restricted to one or two habitats (e.g., Townsend's Warbler), and others are extreme generalists (e.g., American Robin). Given a particular habitat, you should have knowledge of what's likely to occur there.
3. Details of Behavior: Where, precisely, is the bird operating within the habitat (in trees, in bushes, on the ground, in the air, on a phone wire)? How is it moving through the habitat (rapidly in one direction, slowly while cocking its head around looking for prey, back and forth into the air from a single perch, not moving at all)?
4. Bird Family: The size, shape, and behavior of a bird will tell you what bird group it belongs to. There is no short cut to memorizing some facts here; read about the different bird families in your field guide. Once you have classified a bird as belonging to a particular group, look for other characteristics that distinguish species that belong to the same group, including "other differences" described below.
5. Other Differences: These include such things as songs and calls; nest structure and position; egg size, color, and shape; and, lastly, plumage coloration pattern. Most people get hung up on the coloration patterns of birds because field guides emphasize such differences. Just remember, the major differences among species become apparent by focusing in on the factors (1-4) outlined above.
Developing field skills for successful bird watching:
1. Time of Day: Except in winter, birds are most active in the early morning hours. You won't see much at all from noon to evening, so don't plan a bird-watching excursion for mid-day.
2. Clothing: You should wear dull colors and be as quiet as possible so that any and every sound can be heard. The larger the group, the less success you are likely to achieve. Unfortunately, sound pollution will become much more apparent once you begin bird watching!
3. Locating the Bird in your Binoculars: Always find the bird of interest with unaided eyes first, then raise the binoculars in a straight line up to the location of the bird.
4. Background Lighting: The only way you will see the bird’s true colors is by having the sun behind you and positioning yourself so that the bird is in front of a dark background (not against a cloudy, white sky).
5. Directing Others to the Bird: Tell others where a bird is by taking your binoculars down and then noting the bird's position relative to some conspicuous landmark (e.g., in the cottonwood, look 2 feet above, and 1 foot to the left of the tip of the broken branch that's sticking out half-way up on the right side).
6. Getting out There: The fastest way to become a competent bird-watcher is to go out with those who know what they're doing. If you don't know someone who fits that description, contact the Avian Science Center and we will point you in the right direction. One option is to join the bird-watching excursions sponsored by the Five Valleys Audubon Society on Saturday mornings. The outings are also advertised in both the Missoulian and in the Society’s newsletter.
7. Binoculars and Scopes: For small landbirds, binoculars are indispensable. You should know how to set the adjustable eyepiece for your own eyes: (a) cover the adjustable side with your hand, (b) focus on an object that is the typical bird-watching distance away with the main focusing knob, (c) cover the other side with your hand, (d) focus the adjustable side with the special focusing knob that affects only that one side. Note where the adjustable knob is set so that you can check periodically to be sure they're still in sync. For waterfowl and shorebirds, a spotting scope is indispensable. The best way to use a scope is to start on the lowest power (usually 20x), find a bird of interest, and then zoom in if necessary. Higher powers (> 45x) are pretty much useless because the clarity is poor.
"Better View Desired" - optics info from Simpson Optics
Birding optics from birdwatching.com
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