Last week we did some touring, one the stops being a charming museum of medieval art in New York City, the Cloisters. As is my habit I keep an eye out for bird life. Regrettably, I found only one species on the grounds which is a semiofficial king of urban birds---the non-native English Sparrow. These pesky creatures abound in the Cloisters and were drawn to the outdoor cafe in a first-level cloister (the Trie) A question came up in my mind that I can't yet resolve. Did these European birds pester the monks in monasteries as much as they do the Cloisters today? I have to think it's plausible. ES's are definitely drawn to human habitations and monasteries, a relatively dense concentration of humans in their time, must have been irresistable. I'd pity the monks, but the ES are natives there. It might have been a pleasant partnership!
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