Squirles help me to remember there is evil in the world....I totally understand your question ;) and I can spell squirels .... It's my phone that can't.
My recent experience is that they help themselves.
A couple of days ago I was sitting on the veranda of a holiday cottage having a coffee, eating a biscuit, reading a book. The local sparrows are obviously used to tourists and came around looking for food. I didn't know that at first and as I sat there reading I felt a snatch at my left hand and looked up to see my biscuit disappearing into the wide blue yonder.
After that we got with the program and fed them voluntarily.