Outwitting Squirrels

A book illustrating and explaining a series of strategems to keep squirrels from eating and ruining yards and gardens when more traditional tactics fail.

Bird-loving Americans share a common problem: squirrels! These fast, greedy, incredibly crafty, fluffy-tailed rodents pillage birdfeeders before owners' very eyes. For 25 years, Outwitting Squirrels has been leading the charge to help bird lovers defend their feeders. This classic defense manual for the besieged birder has been fully updated to deal with the more tech-savvy twenty-first-century squirrel. It provides 101 cunning strategies, both serious and hilarious, for outsmarting these furry, but not so cute, creatures. Adler discusses the different bird personalities and the best seed to attract them. He rates birdfeeders based upon how squirrel-proof, or squirrel-vexing, they are and discusses creative antisquirrel structures and devices. Spooker poles, Perrier bottles, baffled fishing line, Teflon spray, Vaseline, water bombs, cayenne pepper, and Nixalite—the author has tried them all, and here he regales intrepid bird feeders with his squirrel-thwarting adventures and misadventures.

If you have ever waged war against the local squirrels to prevent them from ransacking your garden, you will know that they are wily beasts who can find loopholes in the most cunning of defences. Capable of remarkable feats of tightrope walking and problem-solving, they are formidable enemies indeed - and that's not to mention the many other pests who can torment the optimistic gardener, from slugs and snails to moles and deer and from bugs and weevils to fungus and blight . . . Anne Wareham has compiled a brisk, but comprehensive guide to recommended anti-pest strategems, including ingenious tricks to keep squirrels from eating all the seed when the feeders fail, and when to tie your sunflowers on to the shed roof. Always a realist, Anne is willing to admit that some pests simply can't be beaten and to advise when you should grow a different plant rather than prolonging the fight. And her range of garden foes extends beyond the natural world, with advice on how to resist fatuous horticultural trends and ignore 'people of unlike mind'. This is an honest, humorous book of advice which will be appreciated by amateur and professional gardeners alike.

Bird-loving Americans share a common problem: squirrels! These fast, greedy, incredibly crafty, fluffy-tailed rodents pillage birdfeeders before owners’ very eyes. For 25 years, Outwitting Squirrels has been leading the charge to help bird lovers defend their feeders. This classic defense manual for the besieged birder has been fully updated to deal with the more tech-savvy twenty-first-century squirrel. It provides 101 cunning strategies, both serious and hilarious, for outsmarting these furry, but not so cute, creatures. Adler discusses the different bird personalities and the best seed to attract them. He rates birdfeeders based upon how squirrel-proof, or squirrel-vexing, they are and discusses creative antisquirrel structures and devices. Spooker poles, Perrier bottles, baffled fishing line, Teflon spray, Vaseline, water bombs, cayenne pepper, and Nixalite—the author has tried them all, and here he regales intrepid bird feeders with his squirrel-thwarting adventures and misadventures.

In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

Squirrels have made numerous appearances in mass media over the years, from Beatrix Potter's Nutkin and Timmy Tiptoes, to Rocky the flying squirrel of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, and to Conker and Squirrel Girl of video game fame. This book examines how squirrel legends from centuries ago have found new life through contemporary popular culture, with a focus on the various portrayals of these wily creatures in books, newspapers, television, movies, public relations, advertising and video games.

From the moment we're born we accumulate stuff. Over time this stuff turns into clutter, and instead of enjoying our possessions, our stuff becomes a burden. What was once a spacious apartment or house becomes a cluttered mess that's simply no fun to be in (and can even be hazardous to your physical and mental health). In Outwitting Clutter, you'll learn about: How to declutter your life in 1-, 5-, and 15-minute increments; dealing with broken stuff; imposing a time limit on underused clutter; how to determine: is it sentimental, or is it clutter?; clutter in all the wrong places; how to outwit kids' clutter without giving them away; how technology creates digital clutter; avoiding yard clutter/tool clutter/equipment clutter and hobby clutter; clutter at work-in your desk and home office; outwitting clutter, room by room; financial clutter and what you have to keep and what you don't; how to prevent clutter in the first place, and much, much more. Whether you seek to organize your office, or yourlife, Outwitting Clutter will save you time, space, money, and ultimately, your sanity! (5 1/2 x 8 1/2, 272 pages, b & w photos) Bill Adler, Jr. is the author of numerous Outwitting books, including Outwitting Deer, Outwitting Mice, Outwitting Neighbors, Outwitting Contractors, and Outwitting Critters. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, two daughters, and an enormous but extremely well-organized CD collection.

Did you know that a groundhog is really a type of squirrel? That squirrels control their body temperature with their tails? That most squirrels have yellow-tinted eye lenses that work like sunglasses to reduce glare? That tree squirrels can turn their hind feet completely around when climbing down a tree head-first? In Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide, Richard W. Thorington Jr. and Katie Ferrell unveil the fascinating world of one of the "most watched" mammals on the planet. The diversity of squirrels is astounding. There are 278 species that inhabit all continents except Antarctica and Australia—varying in size from the lumbering 18-pound gray marmot to the graceful pygmy flying squirrel that is smaller than most mice. In many parts of the world they readily share human habitats, joining us for lunch in a city park, raiding our bird feeders, and sneaking into college dorm rooms through open windows. Reviled as pests or loved as an endearing amusement, squirrels have played important roles in trade, literature, and mythology. Thorington and Ferrell cover every aspect of this diverse animal family, from the first squirrels of 36 million years ago to the present day. With over one hundred photographs and an intuitive question-and-answer format, this authoritative and engaging guide sheds light on a common mammal that is anything but commonplace.