better beamer

No better endorsement than the fact that it's used by Moose Peterson.
 
Iv started using one and it doesnt seem to effect them. At some distance in day light the flash is hardly noticable. If anything it seems that pointing a big black/white lens at them is what makes them nervous.
 
I used a BB on some holiday Hummingbirds recently, and on almost all occasions the burst of light would cause them to move position. They never departed, but it was clear that flash was something they were not used to at all.
As a bird photographer in this country you're under scrutiny the whole time from people who are out to find any reason to hate you, so it's not something I would routinely do here.
Jonathan
 
I would never endorse the use of a flashgun on wild birds, it dazzles me and effects my vision for a moment, on a wild bird that could be all the advantage a predator needs.
 
Interesting to hear views about using flash when photographing wildlife.

In my very limited experience of photographing birds (coal and great tits) with flash it did seem to startle them and they flew off. A fox in a garden in east London reacted in a similar way; I was surprised just how quickly it moved.

I have also photographed badgers and pine martens and they appear totally unaffected by a flash.

Dave
 
I often use flash, sometimes with a BB, for my garden birds. They soon get used to it and seem quite unaffected after a while.
 
I've used one from time to time both here and abroad, can't say that I've noticed much of a reaction from any bird I've photographed.
 
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