120 pairs of breeding adults were surveyed at nest sites during the 2005 breeding season. The graph above shows less recruitment of younger birds into the breeding population than we have seen in recent years. Birds in the seven year age class and older are from the first years when we started banding over 100 chicks in the season. It is encouraging to now see a greater proportion of the breeding population over 6 sixes of age.
Only those sites monitored the year before a banded bird first appears to breed have been included in this graph. In this way we can be certain this is their first year of breeding. There appears to be a preference for females to either begin breeding at age two or at least pair up with a male in their first year. By their second year the females are old enough to lay eggs. Males however, don't appear to be gaining territories until they are in full adult plumage at 2 years of age. Few birds that fail to establish a pair bond and breed by age 4 years, probably ever succeed to breed.