Hannah Bourne-Taylor, the ‘bird lady’ who educated Jeremy Clarkson on birds in series five of Clarkson’s Farm, previously staged a naked protest in London to promote her campaign to save swifts. In 2022, she launched The Feather Speech, a national campaign advocating for ‘swift bricks’ in new homes to create nesting sites for threatened swift populations.
Strategic Nudity for Media Attention
To draw attention to her cause, Bourne-Taylor paraded naked through London with her body painted with black swifts. She wore a nude-coloured modesty garment, using her hair to cover her chest, with swifts painted across her stomach. In another image, she painted her chest blue with black paint dripping down her legs to simulate feathers.
Bourne-Taylor told The Observer that the stunt was “highly strategic” rather than radical. She said: “I knew that no one would care at all about my campaign unless I managed to court the media in some way. So for me, it was this: do I break the law or do I get naked? It was just a normal thought process, nothing bold or courageous or dramatic, just about finding a logical way to try to solve a problem.”
Trolling and Resilience
The protest led to online trolling and vile threats. Bourne-Taylor admitted feeling “judged” throughout, which was “hard to deal with”. However, she said the ordeal taught her “resilience”. She continues to campaign for swift bricks to be made compulsory for all new build houses in Britain.
Dedication to Bird Conservation
Bourne-Taylor once let a baby bird nest in her hair for 84 days while living in Ghana. She explained: “I think the strongest instinct that we all possess is the one to protect what we love. Even though it does sound a bit crazy to commit my time to raising a tiny bird, it makes complete sense because I commit. I’m all or nothing.”
