Spring is here! (Spizella arborea)

Wow - that's just beautiful!

Beautiful image. Well done

Hi padmartin,
Please check your field guide - I think you'll find this is a Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina). American Tree Sparrow has a gray eyebrow, rufous stripe behind the eye, two-toned bill (yellow below) and a dark chest spot. Cracking photo though, nicely framed in the redbud tree.

Check this image in the Gallery:
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/45542/sort/1/cat/all/page/1

Cool fact: Though the North American winter resident known as the American Tree Sparrow looks much like the North American breeding season's Chipping Sparrow, there is, in fact, little overlap in the occurrence of these two birds. The first American Tree Sparrows typically arrive in late October, and within a week, Chipping Sparrows depart. Conversely, American Tree Sparrows depart in late March, within a week of the Chipping Sparrow's arrival. As a result, it is rare to see American Tree Sparrows and Chipping Sparrows in the same location.