The Bangrazi Courtyard is a large outdoor instructional space dedicated in loving memory of Angela J. Bangrazi. Angela was an adored Princeton resident and mother of two former Thomas Prince students, Vincent and Louis, who dedicated her life to serving children. As a pediatric nurse and Cub Scout leader, Angela shared her passion for gardening and bird-watching, as well as her enjoyment of nature and the outdoors with not only her own children but those of the Thomas Prince School and the greater community.
The Bangrazi Courtyard is a peaceful space where teachers often hold classes during mild weather, take students out for snack and movement breaks or even help students enact small performances on the stone-block theater stage. The courtyard is also a spot to enjoy the many species of native birds that call this natural environment home . Either feeding on the plants and flowers that grow in the space or nesting in the wisteria vines of the dome trellis, a host of birds can be found within the courtyard.
Thomas Prince School is forever grateful to our former science teacher Paul Becker who instilled the love and knowledge of native birds in our school community. May his love for birds live on in the Bangrazi courtyard and beyond!
Below is a small peek of the friends you might find tweeting and flitting about about in this tranquil space.
Scientific Name: Poecile Atricapilla S
Description: Has a black line coming from its beak
to back to beak to chest. And, also a black and white wing and tanish feathers on chest. It also has black eyes.
Habitat: Trees or woody shrubs sometimes forests and woodlot, and parks.
Range: East Coast - West Coast not much in South Coast.
Diet: In winter half plant / half animal rest of year mostly 80% - 90% insect.
Interesting Facts: The Blacked Capped Chickadee hides seeds and eats them later - they can remember thousands of hiding spaces. The more dee notes in a Chickadee call the higher the threat.
Scientific Name: Sialia Sialis
Description: Bright blue back, a head, wings, and a rusty colored throat and breast. A white belly, females are similar but much duller.
Size: Medium sized birds that grow up to seven inches.
Habitat: Open woods, clearings, fields, gardens, streamsides, and roadsides.
Range: Southern Canada, down to Mexico.
Location: Edge of field at Thomas Prince School.
Diet: Insects, fruits, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, spiders, blackberries and much more.
Interesting Facts: In the early spring, bluebirds lay 4 to 6 pale eggs and they sit on them for twelve days to keep them warm.
Scientific Name: Haemorhous Purpureus
Description: It grows to be about 15 cm.\ 5.9 in long. Males are raspberry red on the head, and females light brown and white.
Habitat: Forests and brush fields
Range: Northern North America, West coast and East coast.
Diet: It eats seeds, nuts and berries
Interesting Facts: The purple finch is the state bird of New Hampshire. It sometimes sounds like a barn swallow. The oldest purple finch recorded was 11 years 9 months.
Scientific Name: Turdus Migratorius
Description: The robin has a black and white streaked throat, bright, rusty sides and belly, a yellow beak (often with black tip) and dark brown wings.
Size: The robin is 7.9-11in from beak to tail. It`s wing span of 31-40cm.
Habitat: The robin`s habitat is open woodlands.
Range: All across Canada to the USA.
Location: The robin tends to be found on lawns and edge of the woods.
Diet: The robin eats lots of small worms and insects.
Egg Size: The egg size is a size of a quarter. The egg is sky blue or blue-green. Also the egg is unmarked.
Nesting Materials: The robin`s nest is made of dead grass twigs,feathers and rootless moss.
Nesting sites: The robin likes gutters,bushes,and outdoor light fixtures.
Scientific Name: Passer Domesticus .
Size: The House Sparrow is about 16cm in height and 24-39.5g in weight.
Description: The male House Sparrows are colored brightly with a gray head and white cheeks and a black bib.
Size: The House Sparrow is about 16 cm in height and about 24-39.5g in weight .
Habitat: House Sparrows live in parks, zoos, forests, grasslands, countryside's, and farmsteads .
Range: The House Sparrow live in the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia and, Australia.
Location: It has been seen frequently at bird feeders
Diet: It feeds usually on seeds.
Interesting Fact: The House Sparrow was introduced in Brooklyn NY in 1851
Scientific Name: Picoides Villosus
Description: It is small but strong, it forages along trunks and main branches of large trees. It wields a much longer bill than the Downy Woodpecker.
Size: Length 7.1-10.2 inches. The wingspan is 13-16.1 inches.
Habitat: Mature forests.
Range: Across North America.
Location: Suet feeders.
Diet: 75% of the Hairy Woodpecker`s diet is made of insects.
Interesting Facts: The oldest known Hairy Woodpecker lived to be 15 years old.