Barely a day seems to pass without another horror story about gulls hitting the headlines.
From dive-bombing humans, pets and baby chicks to stealing crisps and outsquawking the chants of Aberdeen FC fans at Pittodrie, the scavenging seabirds are seldom portrayed in a positive light.
However, now a group of Aberdeen writers and artists have put together a collection of poems, photographs and drawings in an effort to restore the reputation of this much maligned creature.
The booklet, titled White Wings of Delight, will be raising money for RSPB Scotland when it goes on sale next month.
Local poet and writer Keith Murray came up with the idea for the project following a similar scheme in 2013, which raised almost £3,000 for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
He said it was high time someone gave the humble gull a good press.
“We want to raise money for the RSPB, but also to bring attention to the fact that seagulls aren’t a creature to be hated,” he said.
“I’ve been feeding a seagull who comes to my window, who I have named Sinbad, for 15 years now, and around the back window I have another one called Warren.
“I like to feed them at night, they come up to my window every morning at 1am like little white ghosts, and you can look into their eyes and see they’re truly beautiful, and there’s a character to each one of them.
“When you consider all the horrors that are happening around the world at this very moment, it’s unbelievable that people complain about birds. They should take more time to consider them, and their beauty.”
Mr Murray’s fellow poet Elizabeth Reinach is one of 19 contributors to the booklet.
She said: “I’ve also formed a very close relationship with a seagull like Keith has, that I’ve called Daisy.
“It seems so crass that people want to get rid of seagulls like her, there’s much more to a seagull than just making a mess.
“They go all around the world, they have their own personalities, there’s such a lot to them.”
White Wings of Delight will be available for purchase from the Maritime Museum and Books and Beans coffee shop from August 6, with other retailers yet to be confirmed.