Nest space is at a premium on the Bass with so many birds present during the breeding season. This overcrowding is thought to have contributed to the establishment of a breeding colony at Troup Head 112 miles to the North on the Aberdeenshire coast. The first birds started to colonise in 1988 are thought to have originated from the Bass. Gannets are synonymous with the Bass Rock, to the point where they even derived their latin name (Morus bassanus) from the island.