Owl rescued from North Sea rig and released back into wild

An exhausted owl that was rescued after landing on a North Sea platform has been released back into the wild.

The female short-eared owl was found on the Noble Patriot platform 180 miles (290km) off Shetland last week.

Offshore worker Sam Crowe managed to catch the unexpected feathered visitor, and kept her fed and watered until she could be helicoptered to Shetland.

She was then nursed back to health at a wildlife sanctuary before being allowed to fly off again.

Experts think the owl may have got into difficulties during the recent Storm Amy.

Gusts of nearly 100mph were recorded at the peak of the storm, which brought down hundreds of trees and caused damage to buildings.

Offshore worker Sam Crowe, 30, from Scarborough, told BBC Scotland News he found the owl in need of help on the platform last week.

"I was going out on shift, and I came across this owl before starting, and tried to catch it, but I couldn't catch it," he said. "I mentioned it to a few of the lads."

Mr Crowe said it took him a few attempts to catch the owl.

"I managed to get my hands on it," he said.

"Knowing it wasn't going to survive out here, I made it a little home in a box, and got it some raw chicken and some water."

Meanwhile, arrangements were put in place for a helicopter to fly the owl ashore.

"The rescue team came and picked it up, and then it got released," Mr Crowe said.

"A very good ending to the story. It's a little superstar is that owl."

In Shetland, Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary said the owl had been found in a "state of exhaustion" after apparently being blown off course during the first named storm of the season.

The sanctuary said the "majestic" bird was examined and found to be in good shape, albeit "rather thin".

So she was taken to stay with local ornithologist Phil Harris to be "fattened up".

Mr Harris said lots of birds are migrating from Scandinavia to better weather and better food sources at this time of year.

"She will have headed off on her first journey across the North Sea and hit the storm," he said. "They become exhausted very quickly."

He told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland: "They will see the lights probably of an oil rig and even ships in the North Sea at night and they will use them as rest areas.

"But she is a very lucky owl because that is usually the end of their journey because they are exhausted and there's no food for them. So to be captured and fed for a couple of days has given her a lucky escape really."

Mr Harris added: "With the chicken she'd been fed and the warmth, she was actually quite strong.

"We've only had to care for her for three days, she was released on Monday. She devoured a lot of mice while she was with me and put on a lot of weight."