[aguilarm]

Birding is great for relaxing. I recently picked up a camera to go with my binos and it's been awesome. I go out to a park or my backyard for an hour or so and sit while looking for birds and taking photos. Then when I get back I spend a little while editing them and posting to ebird.

It's not 100% free, but you can get into the hobby with some 8x42 binos (Nikon Prostaffs are ~$100 and great, but you can go cheaper). Cameras can really eat budget - there is a $300 lumix that would be fine and even a cheaper point and shoot will work.

It's like fishing. If you are patient, you can see a lot of unexpected kinds of birds wherever you are. You can bird anywhere and have a nice time. Migration is a fascinating time where tiny birds wander by, popping in your area for a day and moving on.