Martin Gregorie wrote:

I've noticed that gulls joining a thermal will almost always circle
the same way as the birds or gliders already in it. I've had them join
me when I was the sole occupant of the thermal and they have always
respected my turn direction. I wish I could say the same about the
small raptors around Cambridgeshire - they often join going the wrong
way and keep a pretty poor lookout too.

--

I've found the same with buzzards, I had one in the same thermal with me
once and I was catching him up - when I got to his(her?) level eventually
our circles almost coincided and I watched as his/her flight path headed
towards my upper wing expecting the raptor to break off well before being
clouted by the wing. To my intense alarm (I suppose I was being a bit
unwary) the bird was only a few yards away from my wing when it was
literally startled by the approaching wing of my glider folded its wings,
did a back flip and just missed the imminent collision.

I'm a bit more wary now.

Rgds,

Derrick Steed