If I have a $1000 right now and I knew now what I didn't know then (when I started), I would do the following. Spend $5 on an old Canon film camera. Then contact Canon customer service and ask about the canon loyalty program where you can buy a refurb for a 20% discount. I'm going to presume you live where they don't have tax.
I would get a t2i which is as good as the t3i and almost as good as the t4i. At 20% off, I'm looking at $307.19 plus the 5 bucks I spent to get the film camera to trade in.
That leaves me with $687.80. I know Canon will extend the 20% discount to lenses when you buy a body, but I don't recall which lenses... so I'll tell you to wait for a 20% off sale which happens every now and then.
You will want a 50mm f/1.8 and a 55-250mm f/4-5.6 which are excellent value You can occasionally find the pair for $250... So that will leave you with $437.
I agree about the 18-85 which is your best mid level option. At 20% you are looking at 511... which is 80 bucks too much. So if you take portraits... opt for the 50mm and not the 55-250. If you go birding in well lit environments, I'd suggest keeping the 55-250 and not getting the 50mm. Though you should really consider it at some point because it opens up a whole world of photography that you otherwise may be unaware of. Bokeh, depth of field... low light photography... all with one lens... though stop it down to f/2.8 to get sharp results.