Graduate Gets Work As A Human Scarecrow

Hi there! Thanks for taking time to click by the blog today! It's always a treat to see you. Fill your mug and take an extra big treat today. We don't want you looking like a scarecrow, do we? Segue! A university graduate has found a job with a difference - he's working as a real scarecrow. Twenty-two-year-old Jamie Fox spends his days sitting, reading and strumming his ukulele.

But he leaps into action when birds begin to circle, scaring them with his bright orange coat, accordion and cow bell. Mr Fox, who studied music and English at Bangor University, is halfway through a fortnight-long stint scaring partridges from a field of oilseed rape near Aylsham, Norfolk. Mr Fox said he enjoys being out in the fresh air and, while some friends are bemused by his new job, others are envious.

He said: "I get to sit and read for a lot of the time, but whenever the partridges appear I have to get up and scare them off. I ring a cowbell and I've even played the accordion, but the ukulele doesn't seem to have any effect on them."

Mr Fox, who lives in Aylsham, earns £250 a week for his efforts policing the 10-acre field for eight hours each day. He is saving for a planned trip to New Zealand next year.

"I don't want to be a scarecrow forever, but it is giving me time to decide what I will do with my future," he said.

Farmer William Youngs employed Mr Fox because conventional birdscarers had not worked. He said: "We have tried bangers to scare them off but the partridges always return. Jamie's doing a good job. You can really see the difference."

If Jamie's cowbell and accordion aren't enough sounds, I'd like to suggest bagpipes. They're enough to scare anybody. Somebody once asked me why it is that whenever you see bagpipers, they're walking. I said, it's no secret...they're trying to get away from the sound! I actually like the skirl of the pipes myself.

"Hey, Bob, I'd really like to buy a set of pipes but they're quite expensive."

"If you can't afford a set of pipes, no problem. Just get hold of a neighbourhood cat, cradle it gently in your arms and them twist its tail. You'll achieve a kitty skirl that sounds very close to the melodic whine of the pipes." Wear a heavy jacket and gloves in case kitty doesn't like having her tail twisted.

See ya, eh!

Bob

PS: Sorry, Doug!