Golden crowned kinglet

Golden crowned kinglet sitting on Salal - shot in my back yard.

Have a look at the little ball of feathers sitting on that branch.  It is quite a remarkable bird; one of the smallest perching birds in Canada.  Where I live in British Columbia (in the Fraser Valley area) they are present all year.  I was out for a walk today (early January) and saw a pair of the them flitting about looking for food.
This is where many people get a little lost - what food?  There is a hint if you look closely at the kinglet's beak.  You can see spider webs there.  Their small bills are not meant for cracking seeds the way a grosbeak does, nor is it built for eating carrion or whatever is lying about like a crow's beak.  It is small and dainty and built for looking into tiny cracks and crevices.  They will work their way along a branch and check every spot for food.  This consists of invertebrate eggs, juveniles in all stages of development, and adults.  These could be spiders, insects of all types, mites, ticks, and so on.  Anything of that sort will do.  Invertebrates are packed with energy, water, and nutrients.  The problem is they are small and hard to find.
Fortunately the tiny birds busily move from branch to branch searching for any tidbit which will help them through the winter.  When spring approaches they find food is much more plentiful and begin the process of breeding.  I have never seen a  kinglet nest, but they are tiny, and their babies are only about the size of bumble bees.
The one I photographed above had hit my window and lay stunned upon my deck.  It was still alive, but not fairing too well.  I moved it to a safe area of my yard where it would recover.  As it rested I took the liberty of getting a few shots.  I have photographed them throughout the lower mainland and on Vancouver Island, but I like this shot the most.  After a while it flew off to go about its business.
If you hear small peeps and see a creamy coloured bird with a golden crown flitting about this winter, you probably just saw a kinglet.