As the book’s cover boasts, “More Than One Million Squirrels Outwitted!”, the main focus of Outwitting Squirrels is man versus squirrel. In the book’s second edition, the author states, “I have not become soft on squirrels. There is nothing in the behavior of squirrels that has changed my opinion that squirrels are just common thieves shrouded in fur, with cute, fluffy tails. If you feed birds–beautiful, majestic creatures of the wind–then you must also curse squirrels, and work to outwit them.” Bill Adler shares his hard-won experience on how to feed birds while trying to outwit squirrels.
In Outwitting Squirrels, Bill Adler offers his impressions of squirrels and how they live. The author explains, “Over the past ten years it appears that squirrels have undergone an evolutionary change. They have gotten smarter. Many squirrels are able to bend feeder doors in a single day, are faster than a speeding peanut, and are able to leap tall feeders in a single bound.”
In various chapters, the author writes how to attract birds and how to squirrel-proof birdfeeders with household objects. He discusses “what to do if you think squirrels are cute” and “quitting or living with squirrels”. The author finishes the book with, “I have high hopes for civilization. We have survived world wars, the cold war, and devastating plagues. But only if we keep up our struggle to outwit squirrels can humankind expect to progress towards the next level of development whatever that may be.”
A book this much fun can teach thoughtful things about animals. Laugh and learn about animals at the same time. After reading this book, the reader will have a greater respect for the intelligence of squirrels.
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Grey Squirrel Photo courtesy of National Zoo, Washington D.C.
Va. Carper