An amusing video has emerged of a gannet trying to woo a concrete gannet statue on Mana Island in New Zealand.

The footage, shot this summer, shows Nigel rubbing his head on his concrete partner.

"Nigel – so called because he has no mates – made the predator-free island his home late last year," the filmer wrote online.

"He has paired up with a concrete gannet and built a nest next to her."

"He was filmed by a volunteer during a Friends of Mana Island working bee weeding around the 60 concrete gannets and painting fake bird poo, with the aim of attracting more gannets to the colony," she added.

Nigel the gannet has chosen a concrete gannet as his mate on Mana Island, New Zealand. Here he is wooing her, showing love concretes all!

Mana Island is 3km offshore from Porirua, New Zealand. A fake gannet colony made up of concrete decoys was installed on the island in 1997 to attract real birds, then moved to another location in 2012, with a solar-powered speaker system playing a recording from a real gannet colony.

The colony is maintained by Friends of Mana Island and the Department
of Conservation.
UPDATE - January 2018. Sadly Nigel died suddenly. https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/101073714/the-wrong-ending-nigel-the-lonely-gannet-found-dead-beside-his-concrete-love

A poem penned in honour of Nigel, the gannet:
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