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One Owl has been released back into the wild after being rescued from north sea oil rigAfter being thrown off course by Hurricane Amy.
The female owl was discovered on the Noble Patriot platform 180 miles away shetland In scotlandlast week and was kept alive by her crew.
Offshore worker Sam Crowe was successful in capturing the owl after spotting it on the platform, and kept feeding it until it could be rescued by the wildlife sanctuary.
It is believed the owl may have been in trouble during the recent storm, which produced winds of up to 100 mph and caused damage to buildings.
Speaking to BBC Scotland, Mr Crowe said: “I managed to get my hands on it.
“Knowing it wouldn’t survive here, I made it a little home in a box, and brought some raw chicken and some water into it.”
While it was kept in comfort on the oil rig, arrangements were made for the owl to soon return to the mainland for proper treatment.
Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary said they were informed that the short-eared owl had landed in a “state of exhaustion”, and collected the “majestic bird” via a helicopter to be brought back to Scotland.
After evaluation by the local Versus Net, the owl was found to be in good shape but underweight, and was placed with ornithologist Phil Harris to “fat on rats and chicks” before being released back into the wild.
He said, “It was a joyous experience for everyone who came in contact with this beautiful creature. A big thank you to everyone involved in this rescue operation.”
“She will have set out on her maiden voyage across the North Sea and will be hit by a storm,” Mr Harris said. “They get tired very quickly.
“They’ll probably see the lights of an oil rig and even ships in the North Sea at night and they’ll use them as rest areas.”
He said she was a “very lucky owl” as she was provided with food which she “luckily escaped”.
Mr Harris said: “From the chicken she was fed and the warmth she had, she was really quite strong.
“We only had to look after her for three days, she was released on Monday. While she was with me she ate a lot of rats and gained a lot of weight.”