Answer: A bird
The scarecrow, or "Turnip Head" as Sophie likes to call him, brings her a walking stick with a handle that looks like a duck's head. This is just what she needs as, being an old woman now, she's finding it hard to climb up the hill. Turnip Head pops up all over the place during the film. Initially, Sophie tries to get rid of him by sending him off to find her a place to stay, but he returns with Howl's moving castle! It seems that he too has a spell on him.