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Draft:Nigel (gannet)

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Nigel (died 2018) was an Australasian gannet[1] who lived in Mana Island, off the coast of the city of Porirua in New Zealand. For most of his time there he was the only gannet on the island, and for this reason was nicknamed "no mates" Nigel and the "world's loneliest seabird." He arrived after conservationist efforts to re-establish a gannett colony on the island, which previously had a gannet colony. Part of the effort including building concrete statues of fake gannets. He courted one of them and made a nest for it. His death in 2018 received worldwide media attention.

Biography

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Mana Island previously had a colony of gannets but they they disappeared due to pests. After the pests were eradicated, starting in 1998,[2] 80 concrete gannet decoys were placed on Mana Island, and solar-powered speakers would broadcast gannet calls in the hope that a colony would establish itself on the island.[3] There was also painted fake bird guano (bird poo). No gannets came to roost on the island except for a few short visits until Nigel in 2015.[1]

It is not known where he came from and it is not known where he went when he would leave the island. There were no nearby gannet colonies.[4]

He came to the island in about 2015,[4] although different conservationists provide different years.[5]

He chose one of the concrete birds and was in a relationship with it for years. He made a nest for it, would groom it, and would communicate with it. Real birds that appeared on the island never interested him.[3] The nest was made of seaweed and twigs and was near the edge of a cliff.[6]

In 2018 three gannets joined him on the island, but he did not befriend them. Then he died a few weeks later with the bird sculptures surrounding him.[3] Reports on his death was made throughout the world, including from BBC News, The New York Times and The Washington Post.[4][2] The New York Times called him "the world's loneliest seabird" and The Washington Post called him a 'hero'.[7] Whilst many considered the story of Nigel to be a tragedy, others, such as conservationists, considered him to be a 'hero' as he acted as an 'advertisement' for other gannets to inhabit to the island.[8]

In January 2018 the three new birds came to the island after DOC moved the position of the speakers. They were on one side of the colony and Nigel was on the other side. Nigel was not interested in them. He stayed interested in his concrete companion.[1][9] The speakers were moved so birds at sea could hear the noises better.[5]

Volunteers would call him "no mates" Nigel.[2]

In 2022 the Canadian band The Burning Hell released a song about Nigel.[10]

Concrete birds were placed there in 1976 apparantly but they did not work and got covered in weeds. They were moved in 2012 and the speakers were setup that year.[11] This says the concrete birds came about in the 1990s.[8] This says 1997...[7] This says 1990s too.[5]

Internet search engine queries for "world's loneliest bird" or "saddest bird" return Nigel.[7]

Ranger Chris Bell said when Nigel arrived that "we think he must be a young male kicked out of another colony". Massey University behavioural psychology professor Dianne Brunton suggested that Nigel was looking for a mate and found the concrete birds. She also suggested that Nigel may actually be female.[7]

Death

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His body got a necroscopy after DOC became concerned about the possibility that the routine spraying of glyphosate weedspray around the colony caused his death. It was sprayed three weeks before his death. The report found that he had suffered from kidney damage, but could neither confirm nor deny that the spray caused his death. DOC decided that his death was of natural causes, with their seabird expert saying that he would have to breathe in the spray, which is believed to not be toxic to birds, but he was not there during the spraying, and the spray would have dried within minutes. DOC did did not want the necroscopy to go public due to fears that it would "spiral out to a global scale as before".[12]

He was found dead in late January 2018 in his nest, next to his concrete mate.[9][13]

Ranger Bell suggested at the time of Nigel's death that he "died right at the beginning of something great" because of the new gannets at the island. However, the three birds eventually flew away and as of 2022, no gannets inhabit Mana Island.[7]

It was reported that he would be sent to Massey University to work out the cause of his death.[9]

Friends of Mana and Ngāti Toa initially discussed plans on a memorial for Nigel, but the discussion fizzled out.[4]

After his death he was put in a freezer in a Porirua Department of Conservation facility which contains other corpses of birds. He remains there as of 2020.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Gannet with a heart of stone: He's got live company, but he prefers a concrete decoy". Stuff. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "World media drawn to story of Nigel the lonely gannet". RNZ. 4 February 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Nigel the lonely gannet dies as he lived, surrounded by concrete birds". The Guardian. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e "The nation must honour Nigel the gannet, lovesick New Zealand hero". The Spinoff. 19 July 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "The Life and Death of Nigel, the World's Loneliest Seabird". The New York Times. 4 February 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  6. ^ "World mourns death of Nigel no mates, New Zealand's lonely gannet". The New Zealand Herald. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Nigel the gannet and the legacy of the world's loneliest bird". Sunday Star Times. 21 August 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Nigel, the world's loneliest bird, was no victim. He was a hero". The Washington Post. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "The wrong ending: Nigel the lonely gannet found dead beside his concrete love". Stuff. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Nigel the no-mates Mana Island seabird immortalised in song". Stuff. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Nigel the lonely gannet finds love with a concrete decoy on Mana Island". Stuff. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  12. ^ "Nigel the lonely gannet feared poisoned by weedspray, documents reveal". Stuff. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  13. ^ "New Zealand gannet 'no mates Nigel' dies alongside fake partner". BBC News. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
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