England's last remaining golden eagle has failed to appear this spring, leading RSPB staff and volunteers at its Lake District home to fear it has died.

The golden eagle had been resident at Riggindale at Haweswater in Cumbria since 2001/02 and had been alone since the death of his mate in 2004.

RSPB staff at Haweswater, who operate a special eagle viewpoint at the site, have not seen the bird since last November but only became concerned last month when it still had not appeared.

The bird is not always sighted during the winter but in spring it would normally have been seen nest building and displaying to attract a mate around its territory in Riggindale.

Lee Schofield, site manager at RSPB Haweswater, said: