It is easy not to notice something that isn’t there. Which is why this scarecrow I saw Monday afternoon took me by surprise.

It was in what is essentially someone’s backyard, a children’s play area that backs onto one of the trails I walk on frequently. I’m sure it wasn’t there last week.

Scarecrows are supposed to stop birds from scavenging the crops. The birds think the figure blowing in the wind is a human, so they stay away. No crops where this one is, unless perhaps those are apple or pear trees – I didn’t go on to the property to check.

The sight made me wonder: What about the vineyards? There are thousands of hectares of grapes being grown in this area, and in not one have I seen anything resembling a scarecrow.  Do birds not like grapes?

Now I’ll just have to figure out who to ask.