SummaryWe examined the pattern of colony occupation and egg‐laying in five colonies of Herring Gulls nesting in New Jersey, U.S.A. Colonies formed from epicentres located in sparse bushes. The number of epicentres related to the number of birds nesting in the colonies. Colonies of over 250 pairs had more than one epicentre, whereas those with under 250 pairs had only one epicentre. Epicentres were not always in the geographical centre of the colonies. New territory‐hunting pairs filled in the epicentre areas, and then nested outside these areas. The egg‐laying pattern followed the settling pattern, but was more synchronous than the settling pattern. There was greater synchrony of egg‐laying within sub‐areas of the colonies than in the colonies as a whole. Further, synchrony correlated with the number of nests in