totally off topic, but we have a pear tree in the back yard by a fence and the squirrels will take bites out of the pears before they are ripe and knock them on the ground. In over a decade we have not gotten a single pear off the tree. My wife hates them and will yell at them, she has delcared war on them (but she is losing). So they are efficient at being pests.
The sibling comment about a large water bucket and seeds sounds like a good idea, wish we had thought of it back then. The shooting of squirels was always a source of friction with the neighbors, greased yearly with free sacks of the tastiest peaches and pears ever.