Tweets,

there is a very effective deterant to squirrels and chipmunks: ground chili
peppers. Added to your suet or birdseed in sufficient quantity, the mammals
will not touch it. It does, however, take a suprising amount to work; when
I put seed in my ground feeder, I liberally coat the seed with ground
cayenne pepper. Neither squirrel nor chipmunk will go into the feeder then,
though they will pick around the outside where the birds have scattered
seed. Suet blocks with pepper added are commercially available; since I
don't make my own, I don't know how much would need to be added, but the
commercial ones are quite red. Some seed supply stores sell ground pepper
in small packets, for about $1 an ounce. I buy bulk from the local coop for
$6.50 a pound. Do be aware of what you're buying, though. Most "chili
powder" contains ingredients in addition to ground chili, which may not be
appropriate for birds to eat. Chili itself will not hurt them, and their
appetite does not seem to be at all diminished by its addition to the seed.

Rob Saecker
Olympia