Has England lost its last golden eagle?
SINCE the death of his mate 12 years ago, Eddie – the last surviving golden eagle in England – has flown solo.
Every spring, he would dive and soar above the Lake District hoping to attract a new partner. But despite his spectacular aerobatics, no female ever came to join him.
Now it is feared Eddie has swooped for the last time. The bird, whose wingspan was around six feet, has not been seen for several weeks by staff at the RSPB Haweswater nature reserve.
Conservationists said the death of England’s last golden eagle marked the ‘end of an era’. Golden eagles had been extinct in England since 1850 – but a handful resettled in the Lakes in the late 50s and 1960.
Eddie – who was also known as Golden Boy – is the last male golden eagle known to have perched in the crags above Haweswater. His partner, who died in 2004, had produced around 16 eggs over the years, but none had successfully fledged. So unless a wandering juvenile golden eagle flies down from Scotland, the bird’s reign in the Lakes has come to an end.
There are around 440 pairs of golden eagles north of the Border but only around four pairs south of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
RSPB spokesman Chris Collett, said: ‘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.’ At around 20 years old, Eddie was in late middle age, although eagles can live until 30. Mr Collett said it was highly unlikely his body will ever be found, so the cause of his death is likely to remain a mystery.
The RSPB believes golden eagles have not thrived in the Lakes because of a lack of suitable food.