The antisocial avian fell in love with one of the decoys on Mana Island, off the Wellington coast, and was seen preening, nestling and even trying to mate with it. "Nigel chose to live on Mana, and we know he was happy there because he could have left any time and didn't," Department of Conservation ranger Chris Bell said Wednesday. Sadly, Nigel may have died just as the fake colony was having its desired effect, with Bell reporting that three gannets began visiting Mana in late December. Bell said Australasian gannets like Nigel, while not endangered, needed nesting sites that were not vulnerable to introduced pests such as rats and stoats. "We are conscious that without Nigel the other three might not choose to nest here but only time will tell.

Source: The Nation Bangkok February 07, 2018 07:56 UTC