Jeremy Clarkson Makes Emotional Diddly Squat Farm Decision After ‘Sad’ Realisation

Jeremy Clarkson has revealed how a quietly emotional moment at Diddly Squat Farm led him to make one of the most meaningful decisions of his farming journey — transforming his land into a haven for wildlife, particularly birds.

The former Top Gear and Grand Tour presenter, who bought nearly 1,000 acres of land near Chipping Norton in 2008, admitted he was deeply affected by what he saw when he first took over the running of the farm himself. After his tenant farmer left in 2019, Clarkson stepped into agriculture full-time, a decision later documented in Amazon Prime Video’s hit series Clarkson’s Farm.

But long before television crews arrived, Clarkson says something troubling caught his attention.

“The Skies Were Completely Empty”

Writing in his column for The Sunday Times, Clarkson recalled the moment that left him feeling genuinely sad. After years of walking the land, he noticed an alarming lack of birds — a silence that reflected a much wider environmental issue across the UK countryside.

“Since 1970 their numbers have plummeted by more than 60 per cent,” Clarkson wrote. “And when I first bought Diddly Squat this sorry state of affairs was obvious. I’d go for a walk and the skies were completely empty.”

For Clarkson, the absence of birds was more than just a statistic. It was a visible sign that something fundamental had gone wrong in modern farming landscapes.

Choosing Nature Over Yield

Determined to make a difference, Clarkson decided to change how parts of Diddly Squat Farm were managed — even if it meant producing less food. When he officially began farming the land around seven years ago, he stopped trimming hedgerows away from roads and widened the margins around his fields.

Under current rules, farmers are typically required to leave between four and six metres of land around field edges. Clarkson chose to go further, leaving margins of up to 10 metres in some areas to create safer habitats for birds and insects.

“It meant growing less,” he admitted, “but I decided to do something about it.”

Digging Ponds — For Love and Logic

Clarkson also began digging ponds across the farm. While he jokes that part of the motivation was his love of heavy machinery, the decision had a serious purpose. Water sources are vital for wildlife, particularly farmland birds that tend not to travel far from where they are born.

Later, Clarkson planted wildflower strips designed to attract insects, providing what he described as “tasty snacks” for birds. When results proved mixed due to dry weather, he sought expert advice.

Expert Guidance and Surprising Results

Bird specialist Hannah Bourne-Taylor was invited to assess Diddly Squat Farm and suggest further improvements. Known for her deep passion for conservation, Hannah encouraged Clarkson to plant a wider variety of species and create even more ponds.

She explained that many birds, such as corn buntings, rarely stray more than a mile from their birthplace, making local habitats crucial.

Despite some setbacks, the results were remarkable. Hannah recorded 45 different species of birds on Diddly Squat Farm — far above the national average of around 27 species for a typical farm.

Among those spotted were whitethroats, goldfinches, buntings and skylarks. While Clarkson jokingly described many of them as “small and boring,” he admitted he was genuinely pleased that his efforts had paid off.

A Broader Farming Vision

Clarkson’s environmental push comes alongside his wider farming ventures, including his much-discussed investment in The Farmer’s Dog pub. Although he recently admitted the pub is costing him a “fortune” to run, he says customers have embraced it enthusiastically.

Together, these projects reflect a shift in Clarkson’s outlook — from sceptical outsider to hands-on farmer grappling with the realities of modern agriculture, sustainability and rural economics.

More Than Just Television

While Clarkson’s Farm is often praised for its humour, Clarkson’s reflections reveal a more thoughtful side to the show. His decision to prioritise wildlife over yield was not driven by publicity, but by a moment of genuine sadness — and a determination to do better.

In the end, Diddly Squat Farm has become more than a television backdrop. For Jeremy Clarkson, it is proof that even small, personal choices can help bring life back to once-silent skies.