Between April and July each year, around 20,000 fledglings are passed to the RSPCA. Many are perfectly healthy, but instead of being fed by their parents and learning to fend for themselves in the wild, they suffer stress from being handled by humans.

Birds in danger should be placed out of harm a short distance away and left completely alone for an hour or so. The parents are likely to be nearby waiting for the person to go. Wild animals can suffer greatly through being handled and this should be avoided unless absolutely necessary

The common frog and toad are widespread and found throughout Britain. The natterjack toad is now rare - confined mainly to coastal sand dunes and lowland heaths - and protected by law.

Hopping it
In the spring, toads hop back to their ponds to mate. Sadly, many of them will die crossing the road, but there are ways people can help them.

Badgers usually live in woodland but you may find them in your garden as they move between setts or look for food. Some even set up home in a secluded areas of gardens, or on golf courses.

Badgers are active at dawn and dusk, but cubs may be seen foraging during daylight if food is scarce in the summer. They live in social groups of five to 12 and each group usually has one litter of between one and five cubs each year.

If you've got a garden, hedgehogs are useful visitors. They will eat slugs, beetles, caterpillars and a variety of other insects.

To attract hedgehogs to your garden you can try providing natural shelter - 'wild' areas - or man-made - a piece of board against a pile of bricks to form a type of bivouac.

Pawz Up, Listeners! I am proud to announce the appearance of a new band called Tender Morsels on The Pawz Cauze Show, Saturday, November 15th, 2008 from 5:30pm-6:30pm UK time (that's 2:30pm-3:30pm EST USA). So be sure to tune in this Saturday for lots of laughs and tons of fun!!!! To find out more about Tender Morsels, please visit: http://www.myspace.com/thetendermorselsband Pawz Up, Ice