Clarkson's Farm viewers are eager to learn more about Hannah Bourne-Taylor, the bird conservationist who made a memorable appearance in Season 5. Known as the 'bird lady,' she was brought in by Jeremy Clarkson to survey birdlife on Diddly Squat Farm. During the episode, Jeremy also shared his heartbreaking prostate cancer diagnosis with Charlie Ireland and Kaleb Cooper.
Hannah's Unique Skill
Hannah impressed both Jeremy and viewers by identifying birdcalls faster than a smartphone app. She also revealed how she entered this unique line of work. A tense moment arose when farmhand Kaleb Cooper learned that ploughing a field for harvest would kill nesting birds and their chicks.
From Isolation to Purpose
Hannah's 2022 memoir, Fledgling, recounts how an abandoned chick nested in her hair for 84 days, making her its surrogate mother. This profound experience happened while she lived in rural Ghana with her husband, former soldier and Olympian Robin Bourne-Taylor. Due to visa restrictions, she couldn't work and felt isolated. Caring for the baby bird gave her a renewed sense of purpose.
Campaigns and Achievements
Beyond her writing, Hannah is an award-winning campaigner. In 2022, she walked through London streets in body paint and underwear to gather signatures for her swift brick campaign, which became one of the fastest-growing government petitions, amassing nearly 110,000 signatures. She also authored Nature Needs You and has an Instagram following of 30,000.
Hannah and her husband live in Oxfordshire with their two rescue dogs from Ghana. She was named on the Ends Report green policymaking 2024 Power List.
