Is he nuts?! Bizarre moment a stubborn squirrel faces off with a bald eagle in an epic tree-top showdown is captured by wildlife photographer Photographer Roger Stevens Jr. spotted an eagle perched atop a tree in Lincoln, Maine on Monday Morning Pulling over his car to snap a picture of the bird, he noticed a small squirrel sat staring back at the eagle For 10 minutes the two unlikely opponents locked gazes as the squirrel stood strong to defend its den Incredibly, after goading the bird of prey by darting up and down the branch the squirrel emerged victorious Stevens said the 'once in a lifetime' showdown was the animal kingdom's answer to David and GoliathBy Luke Kenton For Dailymail.com Published: 19:32 GMT, 15 March 2019 | Updated: 19:32 GMT, 15 March 2019 Viewcomments Advertisement A nature photographer witnessed an unexpected upset in the animal kingdom on Monday, when a squirrel emerged victorious in a fearsome battle with a huge eagle. Roger Stevens Jr. was driving past a Rite Aide store in Lincoln, Maine, when he glanced out the window and spotted a bald eagle perched atop a tree. Believing the bird to be acting strangely, Stevens - who says he never leaves home without his camera - pulled over his car to snap some pictures. As he got closer, he spotted another creature, a small gray squirrel, sat on a parallel branch staring back at the looming bird For the next 10 minutes, the unlikely opponents squared-off in an epic staring battle, with the squirrel seemingly unfazed by the prolific predator's menacing gaze. For 10 minutes the two creatures stared one-another down, atop a tree in Lincoln Maine Photographer Roger Stevens described how the cunning squirrel goaded the eagle by darting up and down the branches but staying far enough away so that it couldn't be eaten The rodent appeared to lose ground in the battle at one stage as it sought shelter in a hollow after the eagle flared its wings 'The squirrel just kept seeing how close it could get to the eagle. [It] would come up and just taunt him, dare him,' Stevens told Bangor Daily News. 'That squirrel seemed to know just how close it could get to the eagle to really make him mad.' Scurrying back and forth in front of the eagle, the brazen squirrel seemed determined to drive the bird away from its territory. At one stage, the rodent appeared to lose ground in the duel when it sought shelter in a hollow of the tree after the eagle flared its wings in warning. But remarkably, the stubborn creature emerged once more and increased its effort to taunt and confront the eagle. But remarkably, the stubborn creature emerged once more and increased its effort to taunt and confront the eagle Steven's likened the squirrel's battle with the eagle to David and Goliath, calling it a 'once in a lifetime' encounter The photographer watched in awe as the eagle flew away, crowing the squirrel victorious in the unlikely duel 'The Squirrel went right up the tree three of four times and got in his face,' Stevens said. And incredibly, persistence of the small creature paid off, as the bird of prey submitted to the squirrel's goading and eventually flew away. Believing the exchange to be nature's version of David and Goliath, Stevens shared a series of images to Facebook, which has since gone viral. 'It's like the little guy gets the big guy,' he told CBS. 'That's behavior you just don't see.' Stevens added that the squirrel was actually working to protect its den from the bird. A photographer for 21 years, Stevens described the event as a 'once in a lifetime' encounter. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility