Nigel, a young male, appeared about five years ago, which is when she appeared to him: a concrete gannet, freshly painted yellow and white, that Nigel would woo. Nigel stayed true to his concrete mate, chirping in her ear, making love and continuing to nest alongside her, even after three living gannets alighted on the island in recent weeks. “It is a tragic story,” Bell said from his cabin on the island, where poor Nigel currently resides — in the freezer, awaiting transport to the mainland. The three newcomers were socializing, whereas Nigel was up on his own part of the colony, still trying to woo his concrete mate. Gannets only nest — save for the rare case of Nigel — where others have been before.

Source: National Post February 02, 2018 22:39 UTC