Lost owl finds freedom after North Sea rig adventure

The rescued owl was nursed back to health after her adventure

An owl that accidentally flew way off its course and ended up on an oil platform in the middle of the sea has now been rescued and safely released back into the wild.

The female short-eared owl was found last week on the Noble Patriot platform - a huge structure floating 180 miles (about 290km) off the coast of Shetland in Scotland.

Offshore worker Sam Crowe saw the unexpected feathered visitor and knew she needed help.

He quickly caught her and kept her fed and watered, until her transport back to Shetland was arranged - by helicopter!

Offshore worker Sam Crowe said he was pleased to help his feathered friend

Speaking to the BBC offshore worker Sam said "I saw the owl before starting my shift and tried to catch her, but she flew off at first.

"Eventually, I managed to pick her up. I made her a little home in a box and gave her raw chicken and water".

Sam kept her safe until she was able to be taken back to land.

But, as she was so far away, special plans had to be made to take her back to Shetland by helicopter.

Experts believe the owl got into trouble because of Storm Amy - a powerful storm with wind speeds close to 100mph.

They think the storm caused her to get lost on her journey.

The rescued owl was flown back to shore by helicopter

Once back on land, the owl was taken to Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary in Shetland.

She was very thin and tired, but otherwise okay so she was taken to local ornithologist Phil Harris to be "fattened up".

The owl was nursed back to health before she was set free

And... after a few days of food and rest she was doing much better.

Mr Harris said: "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."

Sam was thrilled to hear the good news: "She's a little superstar," he said. "It's amazing to know she's back in the wild where she belongs."