The standard unit for counting Great Black-backed Gull is Apparently Occupied Nests or Territories ie AON or AOT.
| Year | Bass Rock | Craigleith | Lamb | Fidra | Eyebroughy | Inchkeith | Carr Craig | Inchcolm | Haystack | Inchmickery + Cow & Calves | Inchgarvie + Forth Bridge | Long Craig | May Isle | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | ||||||||||||||
| 1960 | ||||||||||||||
| 1961 | ||||||||||||||
| 1962 | ||||||||||||||
| 1963 | ||||||||||||||
| 1964 | ||||||||||||||
| 1965 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1966 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1967 | ||||||||||||||
| 1968 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1969 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1970 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1971 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1972 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1973 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 1974 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1975 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1976 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1977 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1978 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1979 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 1980 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1981 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 1982 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1983 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1984 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 1985 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 1986 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1987 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1988 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 1989 | 5 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 1990 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1+ | 0 | |||||||||
| 1991 | x | 3+ | 0 | 1+ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1992 | x | 3+ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 1 | 3+ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 1994 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1995 | x | 3+ | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 1996 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| 1997 | 1 | 6+ | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 25 | ||||
| 1998 | x | x | x | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | c 14 | 5+ |
| 1999 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | x | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 34+ |
| 2000 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | x | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 30 |
| 2001 | x | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 35+ |
| 2002 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 33 |
| 2003 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 37 |
| 2004 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 38 |
| 2005 | ? | 6 | 0 | 2 birds | 0 | 3 | 1? | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 46 |
| 2006 | 1 | 17-19 | 1? | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 | >51 |
| 2007 | x | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1-2 | 1+ | 1 | 0 | 30 | 62 |
| 2008 | 10+ | 2-3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ? | 1 | 0 | 37 | 60+ | ||
| 2009 | x | 21 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 73+ | |
| 2010 | 16 | 1 | 2-3 | 3 | 1? | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | c60 | ||
| 2011 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1+ | 1 | 0 | 41 | 79+ | |
| 2012 | 18 | ? | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ? | 1 | 0 | 40 | 73 | ||
| 2013 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 9+ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 73 | |
| 2014 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 3-4 | c14 | 1 | x | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 107 | |
| 2015 | 0 | 47 | 12 birds | 4-5 | 9+ | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 117+ | |
| 2016 | 0 | 51 | 5 | 6-7 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 1 | c6 | 3 | 0 | 72 | 164 | |
| 2017 | 0 | 34 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 0 | x | 70 | |
| 2018 | 3 birds | 31 | 6 | 5 | c15 | 1-2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 79 | 154 | |
| 2019 | 0 | 29 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | x | 69+ | |
| 2020 | 0 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | 0 | x | x | |
| 2021 | 0 | x | 8 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 125 | 171+ | |
| 2022 | 0 | 37 | 11 | 13 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 116 | 211 | |
| 2023 | 0 | 32 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | x | 77 | |
| 2024 | 0 | 25 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 111 | 178 | |
| 2025 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | x | 56 |
AOB / AON / AOS / AOT = Apparently Occupied Burrows / Nests / Sites / Territories; IND = Individual birds
s = sites; b = birds; x = breeding but not counted; + = minimum count; c = circa; 0 = none breeding;
blank = no information available