A chimney sweep lifted a tawny owl out of a Polperro stove
Rob Stead was cleaning a chimney in the Cornish village when he saw the owl through the glass. He wrapped it in a towel and let it go in the garden.
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A tawny owl that had gone down a chimney in Polperro flew off from the garden after a sweep lifted it out of the stove. The BBC reported on October 27, 2026, that Rob Stead, 36, was doing a routine clean at a house in the Cornish village last week when he saw the bird through the glass. The owner had been away for four weeks. Stead said he would do his best to free it.
He shone a torch in, wrapped the owl in a towel when it started flapping, and carried it outside. It did not leave at once. It flew to a corner of the garden and then took off. Stead, who works in south-east Cornwall and often finds nests in chimneys, said he is not an owl expert and used common sense. If the bird had looked worse for wear, he would have called a vet. This one seemed able to fly.
The story is one owl back outside. It does not say how the bird came down the flue.
For the classroom
In Polperro, a village in Cornwall, England, chimney sweep Rob Stead was cleaning a house when he saw an owl looking through the glass of a wood stove. The BBC reported the rescue on October 27, 2026. The owners had been away for four weeks. Stead wrapped the owl in a towel and carried it to the garden. It sat in a corner, then flew away. He said he is not an owl expert. He would have called a vet if the bird had looked badly hurt. This owl was able to fly.
- How did Rob Stead get the owl out of the stove?
- Why is a towel a gentler tool than grabbing a bird with bare hands?
- What should someone do if a wild bird looks hurt?
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Polperro, United KingdomBirdsAnimal rescueKindnessGood news on October 27
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