Hannah Bourne-Taylor, known as the 'bird lady' on Jeremy Clarkson's hit show Clarkson's Farm, has revealed the reason behind her decision to walk naked through the streets of London—not once, but twice. The conservationist, who appeared in the fifth series on Amazon Prime in June, explained that her actions were a desperate measure to draw attention to her government petition calling for mandatory swift bricks in all new housing developments to prevent the extinction of swifts.
Petition for Swift Bricks
Bourne-Taylor, who has 195,000 Instagram followers, posted clips from both walks. She said she launched the petition after realizing that swifts' survival depends on securing national-scale cavity nesting habitat. A swift brick is a specially designed hollow brick that provides nesting spaces for swifts, house sparrows, and other cavity-nesting birds. The bricks require no upkeep and blend into buildings, countering the loss of natural crevices from modern architecture.
She told the Express: "When I realised that swifts' existence depends on securing national-scale cavity nesting habitat (& the easiest way to do that is for the government to mandate swift bricks so that there is one in every house), I launched a petition." The petition needed 100,000 signatures within six months to trigger a parliamentary debate, which she initially thought was 'impossible for the ordinary person'.
Naked Campaign Strategy
Bourne-Taylor explained her unconventional approach: "So that's why I launched the campaign naked. I hoped that by giving everything I had, there would be a strength in my own vulnerability - in my own conviction. No media would have covered a little bird petition if I had done everything the same but with my clothes on." The strategy worked, making her petition the fastest-growing government petition at the time, securing 109,896 signatures by its close.
She also walked naked with Lord Zac Goldsmith to attend a government meeting. Despite the petition's success, the Conservative government rejected the proposal, while Labour had 'strongly supported' it before blocking it last autumn. Bourne-Taylor said: "So the fight to save our swifts continues in England. If I thought it would actually work, I'd do it again."
Background on Clarkson's Farm
Bourne-Taylor first gained attention on Clarkson's Farm when she helped Jeremy Clarkson identify birds on his farm. She left Clarkson stunned by revealing she once let a bird nest in her hair for 84 days. Her dedication to avian conservation continues with her campaign for swift bricks, which she believes are essential to reverse the decline of swifts in the UK.
