Subject: suet & squirrels
Date: Dec 14 18:57:48 2003
From: Abby Jaworski - carpe.diem4 at verizon.net


I'm not sure I'd use red pepper to discourage squirrels. The folks at
Cornell Lab of Ornithology are apparently recommending against it. See:

http://www.wbu.com/edu/sqr.htm

Also, I know the birds can't taste the pepper as we do, but what happens if
it gets in their eyes? Will that hurt them the way it would definitely hurt
us? Don't know the answer, but my guess would be yes.

Abby
Beaverton, OR

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dianna Moore" <dlmoor2 at coastaccess.com>
To: "Tweeters" <Tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2003 5:17 PM
Subject: re: suet & squirrels


> Hi there Tweets...in answering Diann MacRae's query about preventing
> squirrels from eating all the suet, I have to first say I have not tried
> this. But just today I was reading "The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible: The
> A-to-Z Guide to Feeders, Seed Mixes, Projects, and Treats" (Rodale Organic
> Gardening Book) by Sally Roth and there was mention of adding red chili
> flakes (seeds?) to feeder food because it discourages mammals while the
> birds are unaffected by the "hot" chemical. Since many of us have those
> around anyway (pizza topping), maybe it's worth a try.
>
> Dianna Moore
> Ocean Shores, Wa.
> dlmoor2 at coastaccess.com
>
>