Surprise as owl arrives in house

The owl calmly walked through the front door before flying off

An owl escaped unhurt after it fell 35ft down a chimney into a dining room at a Black Country home.

Stuart Guy, of Cradley Heath, said he could not believe it when he heard a noise coming from the chimney and found the tawny owl in the room.

He said the owl stood there "with no hint of panic" before calmly walking through the front door.

Mr Guy, who lives opposite Haden Hill Park, said pigeons had fallen before, but never anything that big.

As I approached the door, he calmly watched me unlock it, almost with an inquisitive look on its face Stuart Guy

Tawny owls, which are the biggest common owl in the UK, can have wingspans up to 41in (105cm) wide.

Mr Guy said: "I took a photograph of the owl and it just stared at me with no hint of panic. I then went over to the door and used the key to unlock it.

"As I approached the door, the owl jumped up at the glass twice, then just calmly watched me unlock it, almost with an inquisitive look on its face.

"As I opened the door, it looked at me again and then hopped out and took off. It was completely uninjured and its flight was magnificent, using slow wing movements but powering its way up to the treetops."