i'm a newbie to this forum as well as to birding yet an photography enthusiast. i was there yesterday and would like to share a few points from a newbie's perspective.
have to agree with martin that the use of fill flash is a common practice to supplement what nature cannot provide for, but IMO, to satisfy our insatiable desire for photographic spectacle. the question of whether flash should be used is a difficult one and there'd be no point of arguing.
personally i restrain from using it. most important of all in order to keep disturbance to wildlife to a minimum. but apart from that i've learnt to accept what nature provides for. when it's a dark and hazy day that keep my shutter slow then it is and i have to accept that and to resort to using faster lens and the use of filters. and if even that doesn't work, it's simply just not my day. of course the resulting pics would be far from satisfactory. but it also becomes incentives for me to go back on another day when the conditions allow me to shoot better. i guess the fun of birding and wildlife photography lies in that u never know what u're gonna get. a bright, warm looking pic freezing a bird in its motion is far more rewarding when it's taken after a number of frustrating visits and attempts.
the advance in photographic equipment has made many (almost any)amateurs like us capable of getting super-tele of birds like what we see in birds directory but i believe the true fun of birding and bird photography lies in being able to capture them and their surrounding in the most faithful way and also in the process of hiking through the countryside and the tranquil hours waiting, rather than the end-products.
eling shouldn't take the blame not having stop the man. u've already taken the right action by pointing him out. just wanna let u know the crested grebe could be lost but i'm not the least disappointed. i'm hoping for the day when it's lost and found.
