A Eurasian eagle owl, one of the largest owls in the world, has once again been spotted - this time near the home of Norwich City.

Alex Debecker was walking his dog along the River Wensum near the home of the Canaries when he spotted the bird of prey the first time.

The 33-year-old said: "I walk my dog along the river and I've heard the sound of an owl there for weeks.

"All the buildings are empty and dark and I figured I just couldn't see it.

"But on February 2, I noticed a large bird fly on to a ledge across the river and I could see it wasn't just a normal bird.

"I got excited because I've never really seen an owl like this outside of a zoo."

Mr Debecker took his dog back home and rushed back to the riverside with his wife to see if the eagle owl was still there.

The owl had disappeared but after walking a little further down the river, they spotted it again.

He added: "We eventually noticed a guy looking up at scaffolding on a building and he said to us 'have you seen the owl?'

"Because of spotlights on the scaffolding and we could see it really well."

Mr Debecker spotted the owl again on Sunday, February 6.

He said: "It was hard to see the size of it because it was across the river but it's like seeing a panther from far away, you can tell it's not a cat.

"From the pictures I took, you can see the unique ears."

Last month, an eagle owl was spotted in the Unthank Road area of Norwich.

It was spotted sitting on the roof of a house before flying off.

Similar sightings were also reported regularly in Ormesby St Margaret, near Great Yarmouth in early January.

It is likely the owl escaped from captivity but it is thought the bird will thrive in the wild if it finds enough food to eat. But, despite the owl's proximity to the home of Norwich City, it is not known if the winged predator would feed on canaries.

The eagle owl is easily recognisable due to its orange eyes and feathery ear tufts.