Nigel, the world's loneliest bird, dies next to the concrete decoy he loved

[douglas9]

Nigel, a handsome gannet bird who lived on a desolate island off the coast of New Zealand, died suddenly this week. Wherever his soul has landed, the singles scene surely cannot be worse.

The bird was lured to Mana Island five years ago by wildlife officials who, in hopes of establishing a gannet colony there, had placed concrete gannet decoys on cliffsides and broadcast the sound of the species’ calls. Nigel accepted the invitation, arriving in 2013 as the island’s first gannet in 40 years. But none of his brethren joined him.

In the absence of a living love interest, Nigel became enamored with one of the 80 faux birds. He built her — it? — a nest. He groomed her “chilly, concrete feathers .?.?. year after year after year,” the Guardian reported. He died next to her in that unrequited love nest, the vibrant orange-yellow plumage of his head contrasting, as ever, with the weathered, lemony paint of hers.

“Whether or not he was lonely, he certainly never got anything back, and that must have been [a] very strange experience,” conservation ranger Chris Bell, who also lives on the island, told the paper. “I think we all have a lot of empathy for him, because he had this fairly hopeless situation.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/02/02/nigel-the-worlds-loneliest-bird-dies-next-to-the-concrete-decoy-he-loved/?utm_term=.f20c01da7c4c

[samnsara]

1. well hell its not even 4 am and im crying over a sad story already..

...makes you think of all the animals that went extinct...how long did the last one live all alone?

[madaboutharry]

2. So bittersweet...

Though he did have the love of the scientists on the island. I was touched by the poem they wrote for him:

On Thursday, Friends of Mana Island posted an original poem dedicated to the lonely castaway:

To Nigel
You stayed awhile on Mana Island,
Attracted by your concrete mates
You built a nest, you did your best
But only Norman dropped on by.

We weeded, we painted, we sprayed guano around.
We hoped you’d find the real thing.
Three newbies arrived, a Christmas surprise,
But suddenly you are gone.

RIP ‘no mates’ Nigel

[Happyhippychick]

3. Sweet sorry. RIP Nigel

[samnsara]

4. there needs to a be a little concrete statue of him..or her...

[douglas9]

6. Reminds me of Hachikō

Hachikō (ハチ公, November 10, 1923 – March 8, 1935) was an Akita dog born on a farm near the city of Ōdate, Akita Prefecture,[2] Japan. He is remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, for whom he continued to wait for over nine years following his death.[3] Hachikō is known in Japanese as chūken Hachikō (忠犬ハチ公 "faithful dog Hachikō", hachi meaning "eight" and kō meaning "affection."[4] During his lifetime, the dog was held up in Japanese culture as an example of loyalty and fidelity. Well after his death, he continues to be remembered in worldwide popular culture, with statues, movies, books, and appearances in various media.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachikō

[samnsara]

5. i had a similiar experience where i live..with a pheasant...

..I have 5 acres way up in the mtns in a canyon and I got a pheasant chick from the game farm to release up here...thinking he would attract other pheasant (not to shoot, but for ambience). Grouse was the closest thing he attracted.

Poor Pheasant was up here all alone...he could be heard all thru out the canyon and neighbors would report he was in their pasture, on their porch or we would see him up in a pine tree. We always heard him tho.. it was a very cool sound up here among the pines. So we brought in some hens for him. They would follow him everywhere but he would run away from them and fly back up into the pine tree. Eventually the hens moved away (that's my story and I'm sticking to it-(altho a neighbor told us he shot the 'prettiest grouse you ever saw'..grrrr).

Throughout the four years he inhabited the area, we would get word from neighbors that they spotted our pheasant further and further down the canyon (we are 1000 ft higher than town)..

...and then one October we quit hearing him. I'm hoping that he found another home in an area with his kind.

[Mosby]

7. I think what they did was mean.

They should have brought him a mate, obviously they could see that their idea of using decoys was not working.