I found this jaunty little bird on a trail in Oregon's Malheur wildlife refuge.  A pair of them had a nest just two feet from the trail in a clump of nettles.  As I walked by, they flew out of the nest and perched on some old logs nearby, singing to distract me from their eggs.  It worked, I was completely enthralled.  I was fortunate to have my telephoto lens and got this wonderful photo of the bird with deep blue sky behind it.  Normally I would not stay within close range of nesting birds but since these chose to nest along a busy hiking trail they were quite adjusted to humans and seemed in no way frightened of my presence.  

Since I was only about eight feet away from the bird when I took the shot, there is amazing detail in the face; every feather is visible.  The song sparrow's scientific name is Melospiza melodia.  The male sparrows have a lovely song.  According to information at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, each male can sing between 6 and 24 different songs.