Thanks to the many who replied off-list. Here is a summary of the responses:

The bird is definitely a Song Sparrow.

The swollen thing near one eye is an engorged tick. It's a pretty common 
place for ticks to attach to a bird, and this tick has already sucked 
blood. (That poor bird - I can't imagine having a blood-swollen tick on 
my face and being unable to dislodge it!)

Rufous plumage is not unusual in Song Sparrows, especially this time of 
year when feathers are fresh.

There are over 50 sub-species of Song Sparrow, so you can see lots of 
plumage variation due to multiple sub-species being in the area.

June

-- 
June Tveekrem
Columbia, Maryland
tweekiebird|AT|southernspreadwing.com
http://SouthernSpreadwing.com

______________________________________

June Tveekrem wrote:
> This is not exactly an ID question; I'm fairly certain the bird I've 
> photographed is a Song Sparrow. But its plumage is rufous, 
> particularly on the head. It also has an odd-shaped bill - it has a 
> slight downward hook. (There is also a swollen gland or something near 
> one eye - that I assume is something wrong with this particular bird. 
> It appears healthy otherwise.) Comments? Is this just one of the 
> numerous variations of Song Sparrow?
>
> Photos posted at http://junetvee.smugmug.com/nature
>
> June