Hi Tweets,
Over the weekend I joined a group on a birding/photography trip to Boundary Bay, BC. While there, I and another group member captured images of a bird that I'm feeling at a loss to identify, so am hoping for help. Also I'm hoping for confirmation on the identity of a second bird (image link further below).
FIRST ID Request:*There are three images of the mystery bird that display (hopefully) in a row here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/18600129 at N05/11792505453/*Plus one more image from another photographer (Roland White from Kirkland) here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/18600129 at N05/11811714534/

Of particular note is that the bill appears scissored, rather like a Crossbill, but the coloration and markings don't quite work with what I see in Sibley's. It's hard to tell for sure in the images if there even *is* a cross to the bill, or is it perhaps just debris in the beak... A third group member also reports photographing this bird and noting the distinction with the bill, but considered it to be an injury or deformity, which I suppose is another possibility. We noted a Pine Siskin and a couple of White-crowned Sparrows (including at least one 1st winter possible West Taiga ?) in the area, so those were my first considerations for the bird at the above links. It's too yellow to be a WCSP, and the apparent cross of the bill doesn't work for a Pine Siskin, so I don't know what to think.

SECOND ID Request:*Speaking of the White-crowned Sparrow, can anyone help me better understand the difference between the Pacific versus the Taiga/Interior West White-Crowned Sparrow and help me confirm whether the bird in the series at this link is the 1st Winter West Taiga species as it seems to me? I don't believe I've seen a WCSP looking like this before and I never even realized before that there is a distinction. http://www.flickr.com/photos/18600129 at N05/11793015496/

Thank you for any help you can offer!
Christy JobeKenmorechristyrj at Hotmail