Residents asked to keep an eagle eye out for Warwick Castle's missing bird of prey

Residents across south Warwickshire are being asked to look to the skies in a bid to try and track down Warwick Castle’s missing sea eagle.

Warwick Castle is appealing to residents to report any sightings of Marvin the Steller’s Sea Eagle, after the bird took off on Friday afternoon (July 29).

Eleven-year-old Marvin, who features in Warwick Castle’s birds of prey show The Falconer’s Quest, took flight around 2pm following the afternoon show.

Marvin has been spotted in Stratford, Barford, Hampton Lucy and Weston under Wetherley

Chris O’Donnell, head falconer at Warwick Castle, said: “We are very worried about Marvin being out, his girlfriend Nikita is really missing him, they are the stars of the show and I’ve worked with him every day for 11 years.

"So I am really missing him and looking forward to his safe return.”

Warwick Castle and the falconry team are appealing to anyone who has spotted Marvin to report the sighting by calling or texting 07973 617428. Marvin is most likely to be spotted in an open field.

Warwick Castle’s team of falconer’s are out in the surrounding areas and will be using food upon sighting to bring Marvin back home.

The team at Warwick Castle says that Marvin poses no risk to animals or the public and that all of the Castle’s birds of prey are highly trained by the expert team of falconers and have strong bonds with their handlers.

They added that it is exceptionally rare for any of the birds to fly off for long periods of time.