England's last golden eagle feared dead

England's last golden eagle feared dead
England's last golden eagle feared dead



England's only resident golden eagle is feared to have died.

The bird occupied a site at Riggindale Valley, near Haweswater in the Lake District, but has not been since last year.

Wildlife experts now believe the 20-year-old bird may have died.

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Speaking to the BBC, Haweswater site manager Lee Schofield, said: "By this time of year you would have expected to have seen him on display to attract a mate.

"As the last golden eagle in England, it's an element of wildness that has gone.

"There's no real way of knowing for sure. It's a single bird in a huge landscape and he was of an age we couldn't rule out death by natural causes.

"We've not given up hope. It may be that he has found an alternative food source."

Golden eagles have been present in the Lake District since the late 1950s and first nested in the Haweswater area in 1969.

The last eagle had lived alone since the death of his mate in 2004.

According to the Guardian, Mr Schofield added: "His disappearance marks the end of an era as he has been an iconic part of the Haweswater landscape for the past 15 years. During this time, thousands of visitors have travelled from across the country hoping to catch a glimpse of him at the Riggindale eagle viewpoint."

Adrian Long, of Birdlife International, also told the paper: "Raptors are at the top of the food chain, and eagle species need big areas to live. We must remember that decades of altering our landscape and habitats has caused this iconic bird to no longer patrol the skies of England.

"I hope that eagles will one day be seen flying again the hills of England again, with perhaps some of the Scottish population moving south."

There are an estimated 440 annual breeding pairs in the UK, which are mostly found in the moorlands and mountains of Scotland.

According to Wikipedia, golden eagles maintain home ranges or territories that may be as large as 77 square miles. They build large nests in high places (mainly cliffs) to which they may return for several breeding years.

Most breeding activities take place in the spring; they are monogamous and may remain together for several years or possibly for life.



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