Bearded Tits Paired for Life?

Our first young  Bearded Tits of the year should fledge shortly, we ringed the first brood this morning. We read the colour ring combinations of one  pair with young and found they were both ringed as juveniles in summer 2011.  In the following winter they were seen together on the grit trays on seven occasions acting as a pair. We never located them during the 2012 breeding season but on 28th September 2012 they were back at the grit trays together and  were seen together again acting as a pair on  six occasions  during the next two months. Alan Gallagher's  photo shows them together on the grit tray on November 8th 2012.

 
We have had several similar observations of other pairs all suggesting that Bearded Tits remain as a pair throughout the year.

John