England's last golden eagle feared to have died
Mr Schofield said the eagle has been an iconic part of the Haweswater landscape for 15 years and his loss marks "the end of an era".
Wildlife experts are fearing the worst for England's last remaining golden eagle after he failed to arrive at his Lake District home this spring.
RSPB staff at Haweswater, Cumbria, said the bird was last seen in November 2015, but they only became worried last month when he still hadn't appeared.
The bird isn't always seen during the winter, but in spring it should have been nest building and displaying to attract a mate around its territory in Riggindale.
"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," explained Lee Schofield, site manager at RSPB Haweswater.
"We'll probably never find out what happened to him but as he was around 19-20 years old, an advanced age for an eagle, it's quite possible that he died of natural causes."
Mr Schofield said the eagle has been an iconic part of the Haweswater landscape for 15 years and his loss marks "the end of an era".
RSPB experts fear it is unlikely that golden eagles will set up home in Haweswater in the near future, due to a lack of suitable food and habitat. But the organisation is undertaking an extensive programme of habitat restoration, which will hopefully encourage eagles to nest there again.
