On September 22, 2026, Big Bear started the morning with chortles. By afternoon, Shadow had a red-tailed hawk coming straight at him. The red-tailed hawk dive-bombs Shadow twice while he is perched on the Lookout Snag, circling back for a second pass after the first one fails to move him. Shadow notices the approaching hawk immediately. But he does not leave.
That burst of afternoon drama came after a much sweeter beginning to September 22, as Shadow and Kaydee once again filled the Big Bear habitat with their morning calls and continued a routine that is becoming increasingly familiar on camera.
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Shadow and Kaydee Start the Morning With Chortles
The day began in the Roost Tree, where Shadow and Kaydee woke up and greeted the morning with a beautiful round of chortles. Apparently, one round was not enough. About half an hour later, the two bald eagles started up again.
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After everything Big Bear eagle watchers have experienced this year, hearing two eagle voices calling through the trees has become one of the gentler parts of watching Shadow and Kaydee spend more time together.
Then it was time to get moving. Kaydee flew first and headed directly to the nest. Shadow chose a different destination and flew to the Lookout Snag. Kaydee’s visit to the nest was brief. She appeared to do another quick check before taking off again and flying over to join Shadow on the snag.
It is a pattern that has been happening more often lately. Kaydee stops at the nest, Shadow spends time on one of his familiar perches, and before long the two are back in the same place.
Friends of Big Bear Valley has also described Shadow and Kaydee as developing somewhat of a daily routine while emphasizing that the two eagles are still getting acquainted.
This time, they remained together on the Lookout Snag for several minutes. Then Kaydee flew. Shadow followed her shortly afterward, and both disappeared beyond the cameras. That could have been the day’s entire story. The afternoon had other plans.
Red-Tailed Hawk Comes Straight at Shadow
Later in the day, Shadow was back on the Lookout Snag by himself when another raptor appeared in the sky. A red-tailed hawk could be seen flying high in Shadow’s direction. Shadow spotted it.
The hawk turned, dropped lower and came back toward the snag, making a fast pass at the perched bald eagle. Then it circled around. Here came round two. The red-tail returned for another dive at Shadow, giving the cameras an impressive look at just how quickly the smaller raptor could sweep past him.
Shadow remained alert throughout the encounter, but he never launched from the branch to chase it. He simply stayed on the Lookout Snag. Eventually, the hawk flew away on its own.
Why Would a Red-Tailed Hawk Dive-Bomb a Bald Eagle?
The video cannot tell us exactly why this particular hawk decided to make repeated passes at Shadow, so it would be a mistake to assign it a motive. However, the behavior itself is not unheard of.
Red-tailed hawks can become aggressive when defending nests or territories and may chase other hawks, eagles and even great horned owls. Smaller birds and raptors can also harass larger potential predators in behavior generally known as mobbing.
That does not mean the red-tail seen at Big Bear was necessarily protecting a nest nearby. The cameras do not provide enough information to establish that. What they did show was a hawk repeatedly approaching a much larger bald eagle and a bald eagle that apparently saw no reason to surrender his perch.
Why Didn’t Shadow Chase the Hawk?
There was one important difference between this encounter and some of the more dramatic confrontations Big Bear viewers saw earlier this year. There were no eggs or eaglets in the nest for Shadow to protect. The hawk made its passes and then left. Shadow did not have to launch into a prolonged aerial chase to make that happen.
Large raptors do not necessarily retaliate every time a smaller bird harasses them. Eagles can sometimes remain perched through repeated passes when the encounter does not escalate further. Observations of bird mobbing have documented larger raptors simply tolerating the harassment until the smaller bird moves on. And on September 22, Shadow’s strategy, intentional or not, was remarkably simple. Stay put.
The Hawk Encounter Brought Back Memories of Jackie
For longtime Big Bear followers, seeing a red-tailed hawk make passes at Shadow also carried a bittersweet reminder of Jackie. Earlier in the 2026 nesting season, a red-tail strafed Jackie while she was perched on the Cactus Snag. Jackie and Shadow also dealt with repeated harassment from ravens while they were raising Sandy and Luna.
Those encounters were different. There were young eaglets depending on them then, and Jackie and Shadow had something immediate to defend.
Looking back at those moments now carries considerably more emotion after Jackie’s death in August. She and Shadow spent years guarding this territory together, and some of their fiercest moments came when Sandy and Luna needed them most. That history does not disappear just because the nest looks different today. But neither does life in the valley stop moving.
Shadow and Kaydee’s Big Bear Routine Keeps Growing
That may be what made this particular day so interesting. It began quietly with Shadow and Kaydee chortling together in the Roost Tree. Kaydee made another quick visit to the nest. She joined Shadow on the Lookout Snag. Then she flew away, and Shadow followed her beyond camera view.
Hours later, Shadow was back on that same snag facing an entirely different visitor. The red-tailed hawk added the drama, but Shadow’s response might have been the most memorable part. Two fast passes came his way, the hawk eventually moved on, and Shadow was still sitting on the Lookout Snag.
Meanwhile, Kaydee continues to appear in the nest, the familiar trees and beside Shadow with increasing regularity. No one can know yet exactly what the coming months will bring for these two eagles.
For now, Big Bear has morning chortles, quick nest checks, shared perches and, apparently, the occasional airborne interruption.
The video was uploaded and shared by Lady Hawk on YouTube.
FAQ
Why did the red-tailed hawk dive-bomb Shadow?
The exact reason is unknown. Red-tailed hawks may make aggressive passes when defending territory, a nest or another nearby resource. The cameras do not show enough to confirm what motivated this particular hawk.
Did the red-tailed hawk hit Shadow?
There is no clear evidence that the hawk actually made physical contact with Shadow. It made two fast passes at him while he was perched on Lookout Snag.
Why didn’t Shadow chase the red-tailed hawk?
Shadow remained alert but stayed on his perch. There were no eggs or eaglets in the nest for him to defend, and the hawk eventually flew away on its own.
Were Shadow and Kaydee together earlier that morning?
Yes. Shadow and Kaydee woke up in the Roost Tree and shared two rounds of morning chortles. Kaydee later visited the nest before joining Shadow on Lookout Snag.
Has a red-tailed hawk bothered the Big Bear eagles before?
Yes. Earlier in the 2026 nesting season, a red-tailed hawk also made passes at Jackie while she was perched on Cactus Snag. At that time, Jackie and Shadow were raising Sandy and Luna, so the situation was different because they had eaglets to protect.
i love watching the eagles..