We have gray squirrels the way some people have mice or termites. I've come to accept the fact the squirrels are going to share the sunflower seeds in the big feeder with the birds--they're intimidated by the mallards who come up to feed anyway. But I'm jealous of the suet, and some of the squirrels have learned to jump way up to the suet cages, hang on, and nibble. I checked Frank Gill's Ornithology (2nd ed.) to confirm my belief that birds have a much poorer sense of taste than mammals and was amused to find the note that birds like chili peppers, with their flaming capsaicins, which generally repel mammals (like me--I grew up in Minnesota, where we don't eat the strong chili foods that folks from the Southwest, like my wife, love so much). So I'm thinking of spraying some suet cakes with that terribly hot sauce that chili-lovers sometimes use, to see if the squirrels will learn to leave it alone. If they do, I won't have to use it for long, though if birds really love it, well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Anyway, I'd appreciate any comments and advice.

Burt Guttman
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, WA 98505 guttmanb at evergreen.edu <mailto:guttmanb at evergreen.edu>
Home: 7334 Holmes Island Road S. E., Olympia, 98503