An Aberdeenshire teenager took an injured owlet under his wing after he found it struggling to fly in the middle of the road.
Peter Hutchison, a technician from Inverurie, found the little bundle of fluff flapping about on a stretch of road between Fintray and Kintore after it seemingly fell out of a tree and hurt its wing.
The big-hearted 19-year-old felt owl-bligated to intervene and took the baby home, worried it might get hit by a car.
And while he waited for expert help to arrive the good Samaritan went above and beyond the call of duty – feeding the youngster worms and playing owl noises so it didn’t feel too lonely.
Mr Hutchison said he had to act when he found the chick in trouble.
“I approached it slowly to see if it would realise where it was and fly away, but when I got close I realised that something was wrong, and it couldn’t fly,” he said.
“When I was driving I didn’t want him panicking, so I wrapped him up in my Primark jumper and belted him in.
“He was squinting a bit because of the light, so I covered his head to keep him in the dark, and that was him, he was happy all the way home.
“I phoned my mum and told her to expect a new little friend and to lock the dog away just for a little while.”
When the recently-hatched bird landed at Mr Hutchison’s home it calmed down, and the family made sure it was comfortable while they waited for animal rescuers to arrive.
Mr Hutchison added: “After he was settled we fed him worms and chicken, put the lights out and played it some owl noises until someone came to pick it up about two hours later.
“We were told that if he was too old he would be taken to a bird sanctuary, but because he’s so young they said once he’s fine again he will be released in the same area.”
The Scottish SPCA said it was always on hand to help anyone who finds a creature in difficulty.
Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said: “We help every type of wild animal in Scotland, including birds, from pigeons to gulls and owls to golden eagles.
“The dedicated and expert team at our National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Clackmannanshire save and release thousands of animals back into the wild every year.
“Anyone who comes across an injured or distressed wild animal should call our Helpline on 03000 999 999 so that we can provide advice and assistance.”