Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that his trusted farmhand, Kaleb Cooper, was given a stern dressing down by a wildlife specialist at their now-famous Diddly Squat Farm.
The former Top Gear host, who purchased the thousand-acre Oxfordshire farm in 2008, disclosed that Cooper "took it like a man" after receiving what Clarkson termed a "b******ing" from bird expert Hannah Bourne-Taylor.
The Clash Between Farming and Conservation
According to Clarkson's account in the Sunday Times Magazine, he had enlisted local parish councillor Hannah Bourne-Taylor to monitor the bird population and enhance habitats across his land.
The TV personality had taken active steps to make Diddly Squat more wildlife-friendly, creating wildflower strips through his fields and cultivating blooms specifically designed to attract birds.
However, matters came to a head in early June when Bourne-Taylor arrived to find Cooper harvesting grass fields for winter hay.
"She was distraught," Clarkson wrote. "'He's mincing all the baby skylarks. They're in their nests in this field and they're too young to fly off.'"
The Agricultural Reality Versus Environmental Ideals
Clarkson explained that Cooper defended his actions with practical farming logic. The farmhand argued that if he waited until the skylarks were old enough to fly away, the grass would have become useless for hay.
Despite the confrontation, Clarkson insisted that Cooper wait before cutting the next field. The former Grand Tour host admitted that Kaleb was ultimately proven right - the delayed harvest resulted in poor-quality hay that would leave their cows looking underfed come spring.
The incident highlights the ongoing tension between agricultural necessities and conservation efforts that Clarkson has documented since taking over the farm's operations in 2019.
Broader Environmental Efforts at Diddly Squat
Beyond the skylark controversy, Clarkson detailed additional measures he's implemented to support wildlife at his Oxfordshire property.
He created additional ponds around the farm after observing that birds don't like to travel far from their habitats. He recalled spotting yellowhammers in a hedge but never seeing them venture more than 100 metres from it.
Unfortunately, Clarkson admitted that some of his conservation attempts were thwarted by this year's dry conditions. The "things with Latin names" that he planted around his boundaries failed to flourish properly due to the weather.
Despite these challenges, the celebrity farmer concluded that he remains committed to improving conditions for wildlife, stating definitively: "I'm definitely going to make them a pond."
