Owl rescued after flying 180 miles to oil rig during Storm Amy

An owl has been released back into the wild after it was rescued from a North Sea oil rig, after being blown off course by Storm Amy.

The female owl was discovered on the Noble Patriot platform, 180 miles off Shetland in Scotland, last week and was kept alive by its crew.

Offshore worker Sam Crowe succeeded in catching the owl after spotting it on the platform, and kept her fed and watered until she could be rescued by a wildlife sanctuary.

It is believed that the owl may have got into difficulties during the recent storm, which saw wind gusts reach 100mph and damage caused to buildings.

Speaking to BBC Scotland, Mr Crowe said: "I managed to get my hands on it.

"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."

While it was kept in comfort on the oil rig, arrangements were soon made for the owl to return to mainland for proper treatment.

The 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 bring it back to Scotland.

After an assessment by the local verse net, the owl was found to be in good shape but underweight, and was kept with ornithologist Phil Harris to be “fattened up no mice and chicks” before being released back into the wild.

“What a treat for everyone who came into contact with this beautiful creature. Many thanks to everyone involved in this rescue operation,” they said.

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

"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.”

He added that she is a “very lucky owl” as she had been provided with food which had given her a “lucky escape”.

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."