When you start birdwatching, you definitely don’t need a telescope. They are heavy, tricky to use and most useful for looking at birds perching a long way off.
Get to know those near at hand with binoculars first. If you do decide you need one, the same advice we give about binoculars also fits for telescopes: consider the weight and the balance between power and light gathering.
View this page online at http://www.rspb.org.uk/youth/discover/environment/binoculars/telescopes.asp