End of an era for Britain’s wildlife: England’s last golden eagle Eddie feared dead
WILDLIFE experts fear England's last surviving golden eagle Eddie has died after failing to spot him this year.
Eddie the eagle is feared dead after not being seen for mating season
Since the death of his mate 12 years ago, Eddie has been flying solo in the Lake District desperate to find a new partner, but to no avail.
The last male golden eagle to grace English skies, it is feared the majestic bird has passed away after he failed to materialise this season.
Over the years thousands flocked to Haweswater to catch the glimpse of the famous feathered friend, which has a near six foot wing span.
Usually swooping and soaring in an aerial acrobatic display to try and woo a mate in spring time, there has been no sight of him yet.
RSPB spokesman Chris Collett lamented: "We were expecting in springtime to see him flying around – displaying behaviour to attract a mate . . . but now we fear the worst, that he is probably dead."
Dubbed the 'end of an era', Golden eagles went extent in England in about the 1850s, but a handful reappeared in the Fifties and Sixties.
Eddie was 20 years old and could have died from natural causes
Now we fear the worst, that he is probably dead
With around 440 pairs in Scotland, the death of the 20-year-old eagle seems to have closed the chapter on the birds in English history.
Before the death of Eddie's mate, the pair produced 16 eggs but none fledged.
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Lee Schofield, site manager at RSPB Haweswater, said: “His disappearance marks the end of an era as he has been an iconic part of the Haweswater landscape for the past 15 years.
"When the eagle didn’t appear last month we thought there was a chance he might be hunting in a nearby valley but over the past few weeks we’ve been gradually losing hope."
Thousands flocked to see Eddie each year
The RSPB explained Eddie was never tagged or ringed, as it is simply too hard to catch a Golden eagle.
They added they would probably never find the eagle's body, so will not be able to definitively say what caused his death, although they have no natural predators.
Haweswater in the Lake District where Eddie lived
Experts believe he most likely died of natural causes.
Twitter account @Birdguides, which broke the news, described Eddie's demise as leaving England “less wild” then before, and a “shadow” of its former self.