Another bird vs. aircraft observation: while cycling in the countryside, I saw a rook landing on a field. It flew a proper circuit – first a downwind leg in level flight, probably picking a convenient spot, then a turn to final and landing.
While airborne I usually try to keep far away from other flying objects and creatures.
However, I do not mind sharing a thermal with a hawk. Not once I had a feeling that both of us were enjoying each other’s company….
Few summers ago we soared together from 4000 to over 10,000 feet, with neither of us flapping our wings 
I can get our Ka-8 glider slow enough to be able to follow the seagulls. Occasionally they lead me to a thermal, but most often they do worried looks-behind to see what this huge bird is that’s following them!
Thermalling etiquette still applies. A friend of mine saw a flock of birds thermalling and joined the thermal. You’re supposed to follow the turn direction of gliders already in the thermal, there were no gliders, only birds a bit higher up. Well it turns out you’re supposed to treat birds the same way as gliders – they all began squawking when he started thermalling in the opposite direction to them!
they all began squawking when he started thermalling in the opposite direction to them!
7600 because he hadn’t communicated with them before joining, or7700?
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