Jeremy Clarkson has made a confession he'd previously "never dared speak about in public" due to concerns that he'd be "cancelled" by his bosses and spurned by friends.

The Clarkson's Farm star admitted he'd been encouraged to speak out after seeing new research proving his beloved pastime is actually more "cool" than he'd initially anticipated.

The 66-year-old TV presenter explained in his latest column for The Sun: "I also have a hobby. And it’s one I’ve never dared speak about in public. Because if I did, I’ve always assumed I’d be ostracised by my friends and cancelled by my bosses.

"But this week, I found out that this hobby is not just the preserve of sad old men who like a bit of 'me time' in the undergrowth. New research has found that there are 750,000 people aged between 16 and 29 who do it too.

"And some of them are girls. Which means it’s not just common. It’s cool. And that in turn means I can finally own up. My name is Jeremy Clarkson and I’m a bird-watcher."

Jeremy revealed that prior to owning up to being a "keen twitcher", he felt like he couldn't share the joys of bird-watching with anyone, even after discovering a great grey shrike on Diddly Squat Farm.

According to the RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), great grey shrikes only arrives to the UK in small numbers in the autumn, before spending the winter here.

The organisation states: "They are very territorial so you're unlikely to see more than one at once."

The former Top Gear star confessed that spotting the bird in his fields was "cooler" than anything he'd seen before, but he had to keep it quiet at the time, fearing that people would assume "I’d taken one of James May’s special 'bore' pills".

Fortunately, Jeremy has found a kindred spirit at his Farm Shop, a young man working there part-time while studying ornithology at university.

Jeremy revealed he's planning to chat to his colleague about their shared passion for birds, including a recent sighting of a corn bunting, now he's aware that the hobby is socially acceptable.

Despite enthusing over bird sightings on his farm, the star has faced some tough times at Diddly Squat recently, with one of his lambs being killed by crows last week.

Jeremy shared a photo of the tiny lamb, taken before the tragic event, on Instagram and announced: "Today, this lamb was killed by crows. The reality of farming," sparking devastation from the star's followers.