With FSX, the thermals are now very easy to spot if you turn on the green spirals. However, when I select "Natural" in my Display | Weather settings, I don't see any circling birds. Suggestions? Has anyone seen this work?

Yes, I have seen birds near thermals using the "Natural" thermal display option when soaring. However, never frequently, it's just a very rare event.

The bird is like an eagle or a falcon, I would guess. It's hard to spot, and I don't think it's always there. I've never seen one while in the glider, but there's a thermal near my favourite airport in FSX, and a couple of times I've glimpsed the bird on final. Me on final, that is, the bird is in the holding pattern. Jeff ShylukSenior Staff Reviewer, Avsim

If you don't have SP1 I suppose you won't see any birds. For me since installation of SP1 "natural thermals" works. The flock of eagles are circling in the lower third of the thermal, so you only have a chance to see them when you are low (an near enough). I'd have preferred small cumulus clouds as hints for thermals...Cheers

Definitely agree on the cloud buildup being the expected visual clue....eventually it seems clear that cloud formation/creation isn't related to thermal activity, or at least it seems that way in the cross-country attempts I've made. Looking for some consistent link to ground detail (farmland, etc) to find thermals hasn't met with much success yet either on my system, as it seems more often than not that a thermal won't pan out. So that leaves birds, which are pretty doggone hard to pick out at altitudes at which you need to commit to a specific heading in order to make trip progress.Harder yet was the realization that thermals aren't active in online multiplayer (neither is ridge lift if I'm not mistaken?) so that would explain the one session I was in during which there were nothing but a whole buncha gliders looking for lift and not finding any, me included. A great time would have been had by all if we'd found a hot spot. Or has this worked for anyone else?Come to think of it, does anyone have some specific weather settings they use to assist with a fair degree of thermal generation?