“…The substantial increase in use of young plantation forest in Northern Ireland, composed mainly of second rotation restocks, contrasts with a decline in use of this habitat in Scotland. The area of pre-thicket restocks was predicted to exceed first rotation young forest in Scotland around 2008 (Haworth & Fielding 2009) and while this habitat is widely reported to be used by Hen Harriers in Ireland (Wilson et al 2010, O'Donoghue et al 2011, it has only rarely been reported in Scotland (Petty & Anderson 1986). Restocks are thought to be less attractive to harriers as they tend to be relatively small areas of clearfell surrounded by forest not moorland and therefore isolated from suitable foraging habitat.…”