THE other morning I once again indulged myself in a dawn walk, this time it was at Hurcott Pools and Wood nature reserve.

When I arrived at 6am,the sky was overcast, but the wind was perfectly still and there was just the first hint of dawn starting to appear in the sky.

The main pool's waters were perfectly flat and starting to reflect the light from the sky. Casting ripples through an otherwise mirror surface was a small family of ducks and a great crested grebe which periodically slipped under the surface in search of its next meal.

Walking along this pool is always a tranquil experience even on a busy Sunday afternoon, but in the stillness and solitude of this morning it was wonderfully relaxing.

My sense of wellbeing was further enhanced when a tawny owl started its territorial calling with its characteristic song.

As the light improved, some more wildlife came into view. I watched as two of the reserve's nocturnal residents caught their last few morsels of food before retiring for the day.

The first was a pipistrelle bat which was twisting and turning in a racetrack pattern in and around the clearing where I was standing. As I searched the sky to catch another glimpse of this bat I spotted a large flying insect. At first glance I thought it was a wasp as there are still quite a few of these making their presence known and have recently started to become even more belligerent than usual. However, the size of this creature made me follow its flight to a hole in an old Scots pine tree.

I moved a little nearer and could see that it was in fact a hornet and it had just entered into a hornets nest. It was now probably a good idea not to go any closer.

I was far from alarmed though, in fact I was delighted as hornets are quite the rarity nowadays and a really good thing to find living on a nature reserve.

Hornets have a fearsome reputation and they certainly look menacing, but have a much more mellow character than wasps.

The hornets will usually only use their sting as a last resort if they or their nest are directly threatened. Usually they will warn you if you get too close by flying aggressively at you, but without stinging.

I watched for a while and then decided to wander back "off road" through the woods.

Apart from a vast array of fungi I did not see much till I was almost back at the car park where my senses were filled with a wonderful sweet scent.

Looking around I discovered a honeysuckle bush in full bloom, most unusual for this time of year, but the effect just topped off my morning's walk perfectly.

It was probably only half an hour or so that I'd spent out on the reserve it was a wonderful mini-adventure and it really helped to put a genuine smile on my face and positive outlook on the rest of my day.