The standard unit for counting Puffin is Apparently Occupied Burrows ie AOB
| Year | Bass Rock | Craigleith | Lamb | Fidra | Eyebroughy | Inchkeith | Carr Craig | Inchcolm | Haystack | Inchmickery + Cow & Calves | Inchgarvie + Forth Bridge | Long Craig | May Isle | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 75-100 pairs | |||||||||||||
| 1960 | x | |||||||||||||
| 1961 | 25-30 | c110 | ||||||||||||
| 1962 | 500-600 | |||||||||||||
| 1963 | 450 | |||||||||||||
| 1964 | 168 | |||||||||||||
| 1965 | 550-600 | 3 AOB, c10 b | ||||||||||||
| 1966 | c 200 | 11 | 40 | |||||||||||
| 1967 | c 400 | 1 | 1 AOB, 4 b | 62 | ||||||||||
| 1968 | 400 | 15 | 43 | |||||||||||
| 1969 | 50 | 410 | 2 AOB | 3 | 80 | 2500 AOB | ||||||||
| 1970 | 800 | 80 | 2000 AOB | |||||||||||
| 1971 | 600+ | 110 | 3500 AOB | |||||||||||
| 1972 | 350 | 6 | 350 | 4200 AOB | ||||||||||
| 1973 | 1400 | 5 | 450 | 3550 AOB | ||||||||||
| 1974 | 1170 | 1 AOB | 490 | 3870 AOB | ||||||||||
| 1975 | 1100 | 10 AOB, 12 b | c610 | 3000 AOB | ||||||||||
| 1976 | c10 | 1350 | 40 | 380 AOB, 750 b | ||||||||||
| 1977 | 12 | 1325 AOB, 950 b | 15 AOB, 57 b | 450 | ||||||||||
| 1978 | c40 | c1500 AOB | 10-20 AOB,100 b | c394 AOB, 1000 b | ||||||||||
| 1979 | c15 | 1150 | 100+ | 660 | ||||||||||
| 1980 | c25 | 2000 | 100 | 440 | ||||||||||
| 1981 | 30 | 1400 | 175 | 630 | ||||||||||
| 1982 | c12 | c2500 | 125 | 650 | ||||||||||
| 1983 | 10+ | c1900 | 80 | 435 | ||||||||||
| 1984 | 7 | 700 | 20 | 325 | 775 | 12000 AOB | ||||||||
| 1985 | c20 | 2400 | c8 AOB | 260 | x | |||||||||
| 1986 | 10+ | 300 | c56 AOB | 190 | 816 | |||||||||
| 1987 | 14 | 1165 | 89 | x | 860 | |||||||||
| 1988 | x | 1200 | c10 AOB | 350 | 1850 | |||||||||
| 1989 | c10 | 3000 | c25 AOB, 50 b | c200 AOB ,220 b | 2350 | 18628 AOB | ||||||||
| 1990 | 17 | 550 | c 5 | 150 | 700 | |||||||||
| 1991 | x | 1550 | 5+ | 600 | 3000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | ||
| 1992 | x | x | c 15 | x | 0 | 1600 sea & land | 0 | 50 | 0 | 4-6 offshore | 0 | 0 | 20106 AOB | |
| 1993 | x | 1000 | 100 | x | 650 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | x | ||
| 1994 | x | 550 | 1+ | 370 AOB | c 300 | 0 | c50 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | x | ||
| 1995 | x | 4000+ | c150 AOB | 370 | 0 | c 1200 | 0 | 30+ | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | x | |
| 1996 | c 20 | 148 | 148 | 410 AOB | 0 | 423 AOB, 186 b | 0 | 42 | 0 | 13 AOB | 0 | 0 | x | 847 AOB + 544+ birds |
| 1997 | 35 | 2000+ | 59 | 594 AOB | 0 | 3209 | 0 | 65 | 0 | 22 AOB | 0 | 0 | x | 616 AOB +5368 birds |
| 1998 | x | x | x | 1100 | 0 | 1400 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 42000 AOB | 2,531+ |
| 1999 | x | 28000 pairs | 7 b | 405 pairs | 0 | 1641 b | 0 | 40 b | 0 | 22 b | 0 | 0 | x | 28,405pr +1,710birds |
| 2000 | x | x | x | 398 | 0 | 1373 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | x | 1,838+ |
| 2001 | x | x | 14 | x | 0 | 2337 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | x | 2,382+ |
| 2002 | 10 | x | 27 | 222 | 0 | 1305+ | 0 | 58 | 0 | 40 b 9 ashore | 0 | 0 | x | 1,631+ |
| 2003 | x | 12,100 AOB | 25 ashore | 1466 AOB | 0 | 927 on land & sea | 0 | x | 0 | 9 ashore, 4 at sea | 0 | 0 | 69,300 AOB | 82,866 AOB 965 ind |
| 2004 | x | x | x | x | 0 | 78 on land &569 on sea | 0 | 2 on land, 60 on sea | 0 | 16 ind ashore, 8 at sea | 0 | 0 | x | >733 inds |
| 2005 | 10 ind on land | x | x | x | 0 | 548 ind mostly on sea | 0 | 2 on land, 2 on sea | 0 | 4 ind ashore, 26 at sea | 0 | 0 | x | >592 inds |
| 2006 | a few present | x | x | 51 ind on land | 0 | 1059 on land & sea | 0 | 4 on sea | 0 | 6 ashore 28 on sea | 0 | 0 | x | 1148 b |
| 2007 | x | x | x | 262 on sea &land | 0 | 970 on sea and land | 0 | 39 on sea and land | 0 | 12 close inshore | 0 | 0 | x | 1021 |
| 2008 | a few | x | 51 on land | 50 on land, 270 sea | 646 on land & sea | 0 | 36 on sea | 0 | 1 on land | 0 | 0 | c42,000 AOB | c42,000 AOB + 1054 b | |
| 2009 | a few | c4500 AOB | x | c800 AOB | 1157 on sea | 0 | 0? | 0 | 11 b | 0 | 0 | 45,000 AOB | 50,000+ AOB | |
| 2010 | 1-2 on land | c4800 AOB | x | c1150 AOB | x | 0 | 2 on land | 0 | 18 on land | 0 | 0 | x | c5,950+ AOB | |
| 2011 | c6 b | 1830 on sea | x | c400 b | 413 b | 0 | 14 on land & sea | 0 | 30 on sea | 0 | 0 | x | 2693 b | |
| 2012 | 1840 b on sea | 65 b on land | 750 AOB c780 b on sea | c650 b on sea | 0 | 28 b on sea | 0 | 38 b on sea | 0 | 0 | x | 3,401 b | ||
| 2013 | c5,000 AOB | 25 b | c755 AOB | c700 b | 0 | 38 b on sea | 0 | 11 b on sea | 0 | 0 | c46,200 AOB | c51,955+ AOB | ||
| 2014 | 2+ b | 5475 AOB | 63 b | 1026 AOB | 740+ b | 0 | 51 b | 0 | 25 b | 0 | 0 | x | 6,501+ AOB | |
| 2015 | 2+ b | x | 620 AOB | c400+ b on sea | 462 b on sea | 0 | 22+ b on sea | 0 | 25 b on sea | 0 | 0 | x | 620 AOB 909 b | |
| 2016 | 2+ b | 4,125 AOB | x | 1,050 AOB | 549 b on sea | 0 | 20+ b on sea | 0 | 12 b on sea | 0 | 0 | x | 5,758+ AOB | |
| 2017 | 0 | c200 b on sea | c60 b on land | c500 b land/sea | 527 b on sea | 0 | 2? AOB | 0 | 14 b on sea | 0 | 0 | c39,200 AOB | c39,200 AOB | |
| 2018 | 2 birds flying | c2640 AOB | 685 AOB | c1000 AOB | c1600+ AOB | 0 | 32 birds on sea | 0 | 58 birds on sea | 0 | 0 | x | 5925+ AOB | |
| 2019 | 0 | x | x | x | c1011 birds | 0 | c33 birds | 0 | c25 birds | 0 | 0 | x | x | |
| 2020 | 0 | x | x | x | x | 0 | x | 0 | x | 0 | 0 | x | x | |
| 2021 | 1-2 b | 4168 AOB | 777 AOB | 991 AOB | x | 0 | a few birds | 0 | 29 b on sea | 0 | 0 | x | 5,936+ | |
| 2022 | 1-2 b | x | x | x | x | 0 | a few birds | 0 | 25 b on sea | 0 | 0 | x | x | |
| 2023 | 1-2 birds | x | x | x | x | 0 | a few birds | 0 | 17 b on sea | 0 | 0 | x | x | |
| 2024 | 6 AOB | 5135 AOB | 793 AOB | 916 AOB | x | 0 | x | 0 | 28 b on sea | 0 | 0 | x | 6844+ | |
| 2025 | 9 AOB | x | x | x | 161 birds on sea | 0 | 3 birds on sea | 0 | 40 birds on sea | 0 | 0 | x | x |
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

