In Scotland, a tawny owl turned up trapped in a stove pipe, and a chimney sweep freed it

A tawny owl was recovered alive after getting stuck inside a stove pipe at a home in Angus, Scotland.

Here's what to know

According to Need To Know, the homeowners called chimney sweep John Soutar after noises behind their stove led them to an owl peering back at them. The bird was trapped in the pipework behind the appliance.

Soutar said the situation required more than simply opening the stove door.

"It was a pretty special call out from a customer who noticed this poor wee guy trapped in her stove," he said. "Luckily with a bit of persuasion we managed to get him free from the pipe unharmed."

He first tried to reach the owl through the front, but the opening was too tight. He then disconnected the flue to get at the bird.

More background

Before Soutar arrived, the homeowners had already tried to work out what was wrong. After hearing the noise, they started taking the appliance apart and then saw the owl's large eyes looking out from inside.

They called a vet, who suggested emergency services, but a friend directed them to a chimney sweep instead.

Soutar said the extraction took patience.

"I nearly had the owl out backwards, and its wee feet were grabbing onto my fingers," he said. "I went to switch my torch off because I didn't want to blind it and it shot back in the way. So instead I just persuaded it forward and gave it a wee poke and it jumped into the fire and that's how it ended up inside the stove."

What can be done?

Rather than trying to force the owl through a tight opening, Soutar changed his approach, accessed the flue, and persuaded the bird forward into the stove.

He said the owl remained calm once it was freed, making the final steps easier. Soutar wiped it down with a towel, took it outside, and set it on the grass to make sure it was OK before it flew away.

This was not the first time he had handled a rescue like this. Soutar said he saved another tawny owl from a chimney under "similar circumstances," and that bird had spent a week in the pipe and was so weak it needed time at an animal rescue center before being released a week later.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.