Q: We had goldfinches all summer at the feeders and they were fairly quiet, but became extremely noisy at the end of summer, and I wonder: What was up?

A: Around my feeders, and probably yours, too, much of the noise comes from young goldfinches that are begging their parents to pass over a seed the adult has pulled from the feeder. If you're lucky you might get to see an endearing sight: Young goldfinches transitioning to self-feeding sometimes don't realize that they needn't beg an inanimate object like a bird feeder for food. Some still drop into a begging crouch and flutter their wings while making loud, fluty calls while they sit on a feeder perch. They'll snatch a seed, then crouch and "beg" the feeder for a meal again and again. It takes a little while for these youngsters to realize they can skip the begging steps and just grab a seed.

Take that, wasps!

Q: Wasps are such an annoyance around the hummingbird feeder, making me wonder: Are there some birds who would catch and eat them?

A: Wasps are hungry for sugar in the fall, and a group of them at a hummingbird feeder keeps wary birds away. However, some birds, mostly those that regularly eat insects, will catch and eat individual wasps, should they opportunistically find one by itself. These include barn and tree swallows, great crested flycatchers, purple martins, orchard orioles, downy and hairy woodpeckers, common nighthawks and some warblers (yellows, common yellowthroats, redstarts).

Dog vs. eagle

Q: We let our 7-pound poodle go outdoors at our lake place, but are worried about bald eagles in the area. Is she in danger when she's outside?

A: Even though eagles look to be large and fierce, your little dog should be safe from being carried off. A female bald eagle in Minnesota, weighing 10 to 14 pounds, can only lift about 2 to 3 pounds, according to the National Eagle Center. A young eagle might try to capture an animal it was incapable of lifting, but they're so fish- and carrion-oriented that this seems unlikely. Still, there are many dangers in the world, so it's a good idea to keep an eye on your little dog when she's outside.

Berry-eating ducks?

Q: I've been observing something strange while up in northern Minnesota: More than once I observed a female mallard and nearly adult-sized young come out of the water to eat blueberries. Is this unusual behavior?

A: A long time ago a wildlife rehabilitator told me that to a mallard, everything looks like food. Since these ducks are generalists and will try just about anything, small dark blue berries probably looked worth checking out, and the duck family was rewarded with a delicious treat.

Bluebird magnets

Q: This past summer a pair of bluebirds raised their family in a house in my neighbor's backyard, and we would like to make sure they return next year. Do they come back to the same spot in subsequent years?

A: Bluebirds often do return to the same area, even the same nest box, after migrating back to our area in the spring. If you want to increase your yard's attractiveness to bluebirds, you might offer mealworms in the spring. Even though these birds eat mostly insects, adults will also feed fruit, such as elderberry, mulberry and dogwood, to their young, so planting such shrubs will make bluebirds more likely to stay in the area. And a birdbath is always appreciated, for bathing and drinking.

Toy-stealing eagle

Q: We recently saw something amazing at our lake place: Our dog's favorite activity is retrieving his water toy, which is a ball covered in red canvas with long streamers. After one of many tosses, a large shadow appeared, and what I thought was a duck coming in to land turned out to be an eagle. It swooped down, making a big splash, and grabbed the toy and carried it off! Our dog swam around in circles, looking for his toy, and we were stunned. Is it possible that after grabbing the toy with its talons, the eagle couldn't release it until it got back to its nest?

A: As serious as these big birds look, they're known to have a playful side. Eagles have been observed playing with plastic bottles and other objects and sometimes pass sticks to each other in the air as a game. So it's likely that the eagle who stole your dog's toy was attracted by its color and wanted to see what was up.

St. Paul resident Val Cunningham, who volunteers with the St. Paul Audubon Society and writes about nature for local, regional and national newspapers and magazines, can be reached at valwrites@comcast.net