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Tawny owl rescued after getting trapped in stove pipe

Benjamin RussellBBC Scotland
Lynsey Soutar A small brown owl is wrapped in a striped multicoloured towel and being gently held indoors by a seated person wearing dark clothing. The owl's face is visible, looking directly toward the camera, while the towel covers most of its body. A wooden floor, rug and upholstered furniture can be seen in the softly lit background.Lynsey Soutar
The bird became lodged in a pipe leading into a stove

A chimney sweep has rescued a tawny owl that got itself into a flap after becoming trapped inside a stove.

John Soutar found the bird wedged in a pipe at the back of the appliance after he was called to a house in Noranside, Angus.

"Luckily with a bit of persuasion, we managed to get him free from the pipe unharmed," he said.

After cleaning the bird off with a towel, Soutar then released the owl in the garden of the property.

How do you get an owl out of a chimney?

He told BBC Scotland News he had been called in after his customers heard a noise at the back of the stove.

They had tried to take the stove apart and saw a "big pair of eyes" looking back at them.

Soutar said they had contacted a vet who suggested calling the emergency services, but a friend had recommended calling him.

"This is the second time I've had a owl out of a chimney... I think they had seen that on my Facebook so gave me a shout," he said.

Lynsey Soutar An owl is visible inside the flue opening at the back of a wood-burning stove, appearing trapped in the connecting pipe. The stove door is open, revealing a layer of ash and soot-covered internal components below. The owl's head and face can be seen peering through the circular pipe opening, while the dark metal interior of the stove fills the foreground.Lynsey Soutar
John Soutar was called out after a customer discovered the bird in a tight spot

When he got to the house, he initially tried to get to the owl through the front of the stove - but found it was too tight.

Instead he had to disconnect the flue.

"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."

Lynsey Soutar A section of stove flue pipe has been removed beside a brick fireplace, revealing an owl lodged inside the pipe. Part of the owl's body and tail feathers are visible protruding from the pipe opening while a person kneels nearby during the rescue. An open cardboard box sits in the foreground, and fireplace tools and scattered soot can be seen on the tiled floor.Lynsey Soutar
The stove had to be disconnected to rescue the bird

Despite its ordeal, he said the bird was "really placid" once it had been rescued.

"That's how we were able to get photos with it, because it wasn't upset," he said.

Soutar then took the bird outside and set it on the grass to make sure it was alright.

"It just took a wee second and then away it went," he added.

"It was amazing."

Lynsey Soutar An owl sits inside a wood-burning stove, visible through the stove's soot-streaked glass door. The bird is perched among ash and debris on the stove floor, with pieces of wood nearby. The dark metal stove fills most of the frame, and the owl can be seen clearly inside the enclosed firebox after being removed from the flue.Lynsey Soutar
The owl eventually made it out of the pipe before being released

Soutar, whose business covers Angus and Tayside, said he had found a variety of things up chimneys in his time.

He once pulled out a letter to Santa.

"It had everything the wee kiddie wanted and it had wee pictures and things - that was really cute."

He previously rescued another tawny owl from a chimney two years ago.

While sweeping out a log burner flue that had not been used for a year, he came across the trapped bird.

Soutar was able to get a hold of the bird and ease her out.

She was weak and tired but otherwise unharmed, and the creature was handed over to the SSPCA.