A REWARD of £1,000 is being offered after three rare peregrine falcon chicks were shot dead before they had even learnt to fly.

The birds, an officially protected species, were blasted to death in their nest perched 70ft high on a rock face in a working quarry.

Their killer stood underneath the nest with a shotgun to kill them in what bird protection officials described as a dispicable attack.

The killer struck either late at night or in the early hours of the morning.

Workers at the quarry, at Leyburn, in the Yorkshire Dales, had been keeping a protective eye on the six-week-old chicks and their parents.

When they failed to see them on the rock ledges, they used a cherry-picker to take a look at the nest and found the slaughtered youngsters.

"The mother bird was still present and was obviously quite distraught," said one worker.

The men had been watching the nest from a distance since mid-March and had been taking a great interest in the chicks' development. Three other youngsters were raised there successfully last year.

Quarry director Stuart Keighley said: "They are devastated that they have been killed and are out to catch the culprits.

"Understandably, they are worried about the precise location of the nest becoming know, because of people wanting to steal eggs or, worse still, killing the birds."

Police are investigating the killings, which appalled experts at the RSPB described as "terrible wildlife vandalism".

Spokesman David Hirst said: "These are very rare and special birds and there are probably only a dozen pairs in the Dales.

"This mindless killing is appalling and I feel very sad for the people at the quarry who have done their best to protect them."

The falcon is one of the fastest birds in the world, capable of about 112mph when diving after prey.

It is given special protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Anyone caught harming them can face a fine of up to £5,000 per bird and a prison sentence of up to a year.

The quarry, on land leased from the Bolton Estates, is operated by RMC Aggregates, which has put up a £1,000 for information that leads to a successful prosecution.

Quarry faces can often be a haven for wildlife, keeping them away from human disturbance, vandalism, egg thieves, and pesticides.