An owl had to be rescued by helicopter after landing on an oil rig in the middle of the North Sea.

The short-eared owl was discovered exhausted and disorientated by workers on the offshore platform after being blown off course by Storm Amy.

It sought refuge on the Noble Patriot oil rig 180 miles off the coast of Shetland and was starving and too tired to fly when it was found.

Staff on the rig fed the bird raw chicken for a couple of days before it was airlifted to safety on Friday after hitching a lift on a helicopter taking workers back to shore.

After arriving at Sumburgh airport on Shetland the owl, named Oli by the oil workers, was taken into the care of Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary.

The animal was checked over at by a vet and is now being "fattened up" before being released back into the wild.

Sam Crowe, the rig worker who caught the owl, said: "It took me a good few times to catch it on the rig but finally got my hands on it knowing it wasn't going to survive out here and needed to get it back.

"We made it a little home, it got some chicken and water. So glad to see everybody came together to help this beautiful animal out."

It is thought the owl may have been attempting to migrate from Scandinavia when it was caught up in the first named storm of the season.

Storm Army battered Scotland with winds of up to 96mph and left thousands of homes without power.

Pete Bevington, of Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary, said it was a "rare privilege to help with the rescue of this "majestic bird".

"We received a call from on board the Noble Patriot oil ... where a short-eared owl had landed in a state of exhaustion after being blown off course by Storm Amy," he said.

"After being kept alive on raw chicken for a couple of days, this majestic bird was flown on Friday morning into Sumburgh airport by helicopter where we picked it up.

"We took it straight to vet nurse Lisa Truman who has expertise with birds and wildlife and she was able to make sure it was uninjured.

"She found it to be in good shape, but rather thin, so she has taken it to stay with ornithologist and tour boat operator Phil Harris to be fattened up on mice and chicks before being released back to the wild where it belongs.

"It has been an incredible experience. What a treat for everyone who came into contact with this beautiful creature. Many thanks to everyone involved in this rescue operation."

Mr Harris said: "It's a juvenile that probably left Scandinavia on migration to the UK for winter.

"It will have struggled in the northerly gales and ditched on to the platform."