Genessi recently asked a question about exposing for white birds. This is a common problem for bird photographers especially if the bird is in the sun! One of my suggestions was to shoot the birds in the shade, if possible. This dramatically reduces the dynamic range, that's the difference in exposure between the brightest and darkest areas of the photo, and allows much greater feather detail without losing detail in the shadows. This Great Egret was very cooperative in posing for me not only on a lightly overcast day but also in the shadows of some trees. There was still enough light to shoot at 1/1250, f/8 at ISO 800.
What the simplified Kodak exposure chart used to call "cloudy bright". That light is great for a lot of things. You get the modeling without the harsh glare and shadows. Good for portraits and some of my best steam engine shots at the railway museum.