I am an RC glider hobbyist who specializes in slope gliders, and as a result I spend a lot of time flying on mountaintops and ridgelines. Obviously I see a lot of soaring birds on a regular basis but I am not proficient at identification.
Last weekend on a slope trip we had a bird come along who was very interesting in our flying toys and spent a good half hour flying with us, soaring side by side, following us, and doing very close slow passes unlike the usual territorial behavior we see, such as diving attacks. I don't know enough about birds to know if early october is mating season in Eastern Washington, but it's behavior gave the impression of interest rather than aggression.
To
put your mind at ease, we make an effort to refrain from impinging
on their airspace and territory and always give raptors a wide berth
when they come through. This bird however did not attack and seemed
at ease, if not outright interested in our planes, so we just flew
calmly to see what would happen, without making abrupt or sudden
turns. The bird followed us for a long time, resulting in some cool
pictures which I have enclosed.
... the span of my delta glider is 72", the smaller flying wing in the pic with two planes and the bird is 48" span.
I hope you find these pics interesting, we were fascinated and thrilled to have such friendly company and get such neat pics.
Thank you,
Chris Erikson