If you see a Red-winged Blackbird in winter, you may not recognize it. It may visit your yard by itself but most likely it will be hidden in with a large flock of European Starlings. When looking for the Red-winged, do not expect to see the red wing patches as the birds rarely choose to show them in winter. I use the word "choose" because the red patches, called epaulettes, can be voluntarily concealed by the bird. It can use its muscles to pull its red feathers back, under the black ones. If you look closely though, you may see a buff-coloured line on the wing that runs along the bottom of the red epaulette in the males. The females and immature Red Winged Blackbirds look like streaked sparrows. You can identify them by noticing that their size is larger than a sparrow and they have medium length pointed bills which sparrows do not have.

During the months of December, January and February, females and immature birds are seen more often than males. Most Red-winged Blackbirds leave the province for the winter but a few choose to stay. Male Red-winged Blackbirds do not migrate with the females; they arrive at the breeding grounds weeks before the females do. In Nova Scotia, the first spring Red-winged Blackbirds begin to arrive during the last two weeks of March. This is the most likely time you will see a Red-winged Blackbird at your feeder. During the summer, the Red-winged Blackbird only visits feeders that are close to patches of cattails. However, when they return in March, natural food sources are scarce so they will readily visit any backyard that has a feeder.

An added bonus is that in March the red in the wing is much more prominent. To be able to see the greatest amount of red, watch whenever a Red-winged spreads its wings to fly. You can encourage migrating Red-winged Blackbirds to visit your feeder by placing out cracked corn. The corn may also draw in American Crows, Rock Doves (pigeons) and Common Grackles.