A Paisley resident was left stunned yesterday when she opened the storm door of her flat to find an owl had taken up residence in her close.

Lynsey Stewart, who lives in a tenement in Paisley town centre, was putting out a bag of rubbish in the early hours when she discovered the beautiful creature.

She told the Gazette: “It was after 1am so I wasn’t expecting all the flapping around when I opened the storm door to put out a bag of rubbish.

“The owl must have got a fright when I opened it and started flying around in a panic.

“At first I assumed it was another pigeon as they sometimes visit, so I was really surprised when I realised there was an owl in the building.”

Following its initial panic, the owl settled on the banister for a couple of hours and, for Lynsey, it was an amazing chance to see such a beautiful bird up so close.

“Every time I popped my head out the door he/she sat very still and stared at me,” she added.

It is believed the creature made its way into the building when a neighbour left the back door open.

Despite the lovely and unexpected experience, Lynsey expressed concern that the bird might have been feeling scared about being in the building and so close to humans.

Her husband Andy opened the window on the landing so that the creature had a way to escape.

It stuck around for “a couple of hours and was away by the morning,” she explained.

The Gazette: A pigeon that came to visit the other dayA pigeon that came to visit the other day (Image: Sourced)

Lynsey shared the experience on social media to the shock of other residents.

One, however, responded that they had seen a white owl at McDonald’s at the Pheonix Retail Park last week.

“Couldn’t believe it,” they said. “Keep looking out for it now if I'm over that way at night.”

Another, meanwhile, told Lynsey that the owl had been on their roof in Paisley a couple of weeks ago.