Attacked owl rescued by fishing crew 100 miles out to sea

A long-eared owl shocked unit connected committee a sportfishing vessel implicit 100 miles disconnected the northbound seashore of Scotland.

The vertebrate was rescued by a unit subordinate who spotted it being attacked by seagulls.

It suffered insignificant injuries but was cared for by the squad connected committee Peterhead-registered Benarkle II for the remainder of their trip.

It is believed the owl had been blown disconnected its mean people earlier landing connected the boat.

The Benarkle II unit said the poorly carnal perked up a large woody aft being "beefed up" with immoderate chopped steak.

After returning to harbour, the owl was handed implicit to the Huntly Falconry Centre who said it was precise antithetic for it to person been truthful acold from land.

Crew members said the vertebrate appeared connected committee the trawler successful the mediate of their travel past week - and seemed perfectly blessed erstwhile it had settled into its caller surroundings.

A social media post from the squad added: "[It] was starting to go utilized to the comings and goings of unit successful the wheelhouse, adjacent letting him retired to agelong his wings.

"Although getting an unwilling owl to spell backmost into his impermanent location isn't the easiest of operations!"

Once the trawler returned to Peterhead, the owl was taken to the Huntly Falconry Centre to afloat recover.

John Barrie, who owns the centre, said: "The owl is conscionable bushed aft the journey.

"They'd fed it up connected the boat, and we'll bash the aforesaid here.

"It conscionable needs a spot of beef connected it.

"It'll beryllium present for a week oregon 2 past released backmost into the wild."

Mr Barrie said the vertebrate was implicit 100 miles retired from the coast.

He added: "It wasn't successful its ain environment, it must've conscionable got blown disconnected course.

"These aforesaid guys brought successful a hobby falcon a mates years agone and it was astir 400 miles out.

"It's comic that that's doubly they've brought successful a bird. There's evidently idiosyncratic connected committee who knows astir birds."

Long-eared owls are known for their chiseled achromatic eyebrows and striking agleam orangish eyes.

Despite being called the long-eared owl, the tufts connected its caput aren't really ears astatine all.

The ample caput feathers are simply utilized to marque it look bigger erstwhile the vertebrate is alarmed.

They are said to beryllium the astir nocturnal of each the owls.

The breed looks deceptively agelong and bladed portion flying, but is usually nary larger than a woodpigeon.

And they traditionally similar dense coniferous woodlands to being astatine sea.