I personally use a National Geographic field guide in tandem with the Merlin and eBird apps. There are lots of tools out there to help you identify birds. Some local libraries have birding backpacks you can check out too. If you do want to bird with binoculars, many local birding groups will have spare pairs to lend during group outings. More specialized apps that focus on a particular kind of bird:.Newsome mentioned checking out Sibley or Kenn Kaufman guides.
If you'd like to learn how to identify birds, here are some tools that can help:
