Tracee,

Great report on the pelagic Green-winged Teal. Too bad it died. Was the
specimen salvaged? It would make for an interesting addition to any museum's
collection.
I am curious. What was it feeding on?
For a long time I've wondered why we have to assume that water birds
accidentally blown out to sea can only get as far as their fat reserve can
carry them. Though this assumption is usually not stated, it often appears
to be made, when the report of a bird out of range debates whether the bird
should be considered a true vagrant or may be an escaped bird (note I am
only referring to water birds, I'm not suggesting species like hummingbirds
would land to feed out in the middle of the ocean).

Martin Muller, Seattle
MartinMuller at email.msn.com