IT was with a mixture of anger and utter dismay that I read of the poisoning of a female peregrine falcon and its three chicks at Houghton Quarry, Sunderland (Echo, June 25).

I sometimes (often) despair for the mentality of some people in this allegedly civilised country. I’ve watched these magnificent birds over the years in various places around the country, and one of my most memorable images was from a couple of months ago when I watched a peregrine “stoop” from high above my sister-in-law’s garden in Chester-le-Street.

My only previous County Durham sightings had been in upper Teesdale, and I was not even aware of the nesting at Houghton until the poisoning was reported.

I sincerely hope that the culprits are caught, and that a public example is made of them. They did not work alone, and there are certainly a number of people out there who know who did it. Hopefully their conscience will prompt them to do the decent thing and hand the names of the guilty parties to the police.

Paul Dobson, Bishop Auckland.