The second “insurance” population of Laysan ducks on Midway has grown quickly, more than doubling in size within the first two years. As of January 2007, 100 ducks call Midway's Sand and Eastern Islands home. Researchers monitoring the Midway population have found that the ducks are breeding at an earlier age, and laying more eggs than birds on Laysan. This suggests that the abundant habitat and food available on Midway have stimulated greater reproductive effort in the ducks, which contributes optimism for the success of this re-introduced population.