My sweetie used to put a cob of corn on a nail for the local squirrels to pick at. One day I did a double-take when I saw a full corn cob walking up a high tree limb, seemingly by itself. Those little beggars are strong.
I used to put pea nuts on my fence for the squirrels. It got to the point that if I was out of peanuts, they would come and stare at me through the sliding glass door.
I had spring like device screwed into a tree that you could screw a cob of corn onto. Was great fun watching the squirrels go for a ride until one of them figured out how to steal the whole darn contraption!!