Love them or hate them, the fact of the matter is seagulls are as much an integral part of any seaside resort as fish and chips.

Despite being the emblem of Brighton and Hove Albion, the raucous creatures have cultivated a notorious reputation for stealing chips, ripping open bin bags and defacing newly washed cars

As a result, many living in the city consider them to be a complete nuisance.But the birds have a solid fanbase too!

Over the past few days, Facebook group Brighton People has been the centre of a seagull picture posting frenzy as amateur and professional photographers flocked to post their favourite snaps of the inquisitive birds. In what has become an unofficial wildlife photography competition, people have entered pictures of the inquisitive birds in a variety of hilarious, endearing and downright baffling situations.

Seagulls have been pictured smoking cigarettes, taking a trip to the local supermarket, hoping on a bus and even watching England’s victory over Tunisia on Monday, as captured by Argus reporter Lynsey Bartlett.

One group member posted: “There can never be enough seagull pictures. Here’s my entry.”

Nicki Day wrote: “Another brilliant one… love it… we need a seagull page!” The unplanned online photography exhibition has placed a renewed focus on the lives of gulls from across the city. Many birds are pictured together in pairs, perhaps due to the seagull’s monogamous lifestyle. Mating couples gather each year during mating season to reproduce and take care of their offspring.

Other seagulls are pictured returning to the same place time after time, knowing full well there’s a bite to eat. Seagulls are clever and can learn and pass on behaviour such as stamping their feet in a group to imitate rainfall, tricking earthworms to come to the surface. So, love them or loathe them, they are here to stay.

Have you got any quirky pictures of the seagulls in our city? Email them to picture.desk@theargus.co.uk