It is not every day you wake up to find owls in your living room. But for one family in Surrey, that is exactly how their morning began.
Sometime during the night, two tawny owls had fallen down the chimney and ended up inside the house. By morning, the scene looked almost unreal. One owl had made itself comfortable on a chandelier, while the other was in a much worse situation, tangled in the curtains and hanging upside down.
🦉 What Happened Here?
Two tawny owls accidentally fell down a chimney in a Surrey home, likely mistaking it for a hollow tree. By morning, one was perched on a chandelier while the other was tangled in curtains.
- Both owls suffered minor injuries but recovered quickly
- They were cared for by Wildlife Aid and kept together
- The pair were released back into the wild after just over a week
- Tawny owls are the most common owl species in the UK
It may sound unusual, but chimneys can sometimes resemble natural nesting spaces to wildlife.
Despite being able to move around, the other owl did not leave. It stayed close by, which suggests the pair were likely bonded. Tawny owls are known to form strong pairs, especially during breeding season.
Rescuers from Wildlife Aid were called in to handle what they later described as one of their most unexpected situations. The most likely explanation is simple. The owls mistook the chimney for a hollow tree, which is exactly the kind of place they would normally choose for nesting.
The fall was not without consequences. Both birds had minor injuries, including damage to one eye, and one had a few scratches on its beak. Thankfully, the injuries were not serious.
The charity took both owls into care, kept them together, and monitored them closely. After just over a week, they had recovered well enough to be released back into the wild together.
Stories like this are unusual, but the species itself is not. According to the RSPB, tawny owls are the most common owl in the UK. At the same time, their numbers have dropped by more than 40 percent between 1995 and 2023, which has placed them on the amber list of conservation concern.
Scientists are still trying to understand why. Because tawny owls are active at night, they are not the easiest birds to study. Habitat loss and a decline in prey are currently seen as likely factors.
As for the Surrey family, it is safe to say their morning coffee came with a story they will be telling for years. And for the owls, what looked like a perfect tree turned out to be a chimney with a very confusing ending.
🦉 Did You Know?
Tawny owls often look for hollow trees to rest or nest in. Chimneys can sometimes confuse them because they resemble these natural spaces.
- Tawny owls are the most common owl species in the UK
- They are mostly active at night, which makes them harder to study
- They usually live in woodland areas and prefer tree cavities
- Their population has declined by over 40 percent since the 1990s
That is why unusual incidents like this chimney rescue can happen, even in quiet residential areas.