It’s a tragic love story that would break even the stoniest of hearts, but sadly there was to be no happy ending for the befuddled seabird who fell for a concrete decoy.
For three years Nigel the lonely gannet tried cement his relationship with the object of his affections and even built her a home on Mana Island, off New Zealand’s Kapiti Coast.
But his feelings were never reciprocated, and he died, as he lived, alone on the cliffs surrounded by fake birds.
Nigel stuck to his concrete mate (pictured), and it was next to ‘her’ that the ranger found him
It’s a tragic love story that would break even the stoniest of hearts, but sadly there was to be no happy ending for the befuddled seabird who fell for a concrete decoy
Last week, Nigel’s body was found next to the imitation female he had loved for so long – in the nest he hoped they would one day share.
Ranger Chris Bell, who discovered the gannet’s corpse, said he was ‘incredibly sad’ to lose him, just as three real birds had joined the colony.
‘This just feels like the wrong ending to the story,’ he said. ‘He died right at the beginning of something great.’
Around 80 concrete birds were put on the island’s west side in 1976, but they never managed to attract the real thing and were eventually overgrown by weeds.
In 2012, the colony was unearthed and moved to another part of the rocky isle. A solar-powered sound system played gannet calls out to sea and volunteers repainted the fake guano every year.
Nigel, who was given his name because he had no mates, became something of a celebrity after his arrival on the windswept island in the Tasman Sea in November 2015.
It was the first time in 40 years that a gannet had flown in to roost there, but instead of bringing a partner Nigel quickly became infatuated with one of the 80 decoys designed to lure the seabirds to the island.
Nigel built his ‘girlfriend’ a nest out of seaweed and sticks and was seen by volunteers apparently trying to woo the imitation bird with mating rituals.
Volunteers described him as ‘a lovely bird’, but admitted he seemed ‘a bit confused’. They believed he must was a young male who had been kicked out of another colony.
Last week, Nigel’s body was found next to the imitation female he had loved for so long – in the nest he hoped they would one day share
For three years Nigel the lonely gannet tried cement his relationship with the object of his affections and even built her a home on Mana Island, off New Zealand’s Kapiti Coast
Gannets are from the Morus family of seabirds whose name is derived from Ancient Greek for ‘foolish’, due to the lack of fear they have of predators which makes them easy targets when breeding. They also often mate for life.
Last month, after a slight change to the sound system used to lure birds to the island to nest, three more real gannets arrived and set up home at the opposite end of the colony.
But despite the company, Nigel stuck to his concrete mate, and it was next to ‘her’ that the ranger found him.
‘I certainly feel sad. Having had him sit there year after year with his concrete mate, it just doesn’t seem how it should have ended,’ added Chris.
‘It would have been nice if he had been able to hold on a few more years and found a partner and breed.’
Chris said there were hopes the three new gannets would stay and breed on the island, establishing the colony that Nigel unwittingly began.
‘His legacy was that he was the first coloniser and, if this turns into a real colony, he will always have been the first.
‘It’s because of Nigel that the other gannets know about Mana… maybe in six months’ time there will be a happy story to tell.’
Now Nigel’s body will be sent to Massey University in New Zealand’s capital Wellington to determine how he died.
Nigel, who was given his name because he had no mates, became something of a celebrity after his arrival on the windswept island in the Tasman Sea in November 2015