Overview
- Clarkson says he brought in conservationist and parish councillor Hannah Bourne-Taylor to survey Diddly Squat and advise on habitat improvements.
- He reports 45 bird species recorded on the farm, which he contrasts with an average of 27 on typical holdings.
- Measures described include wider field margins, paused hedge trimming, wildflower strips and new ponds to keep water close to nesting areas.
- He writes that drought stunted many of the plantings and recounts a June clash in which Bourne-Taylor rebuked farmhand Kaleb Cooper for mowing through skylark nests.
- In a separate update from his new book, Clarkson says The Farmer’s Dog pub has been a “total disaster” financially and is costing him a fortune.