Thought of doing something different, looking at the world through the eyes of animals and lizards that have made the ground their home, restaurant and playground. The verdict: not too bad actually🙂 #iphonephotography #naturelovers #minitureworld #miniaturelandscape
All posts by Kuda "kaydee" Nyamayaro
Bush lunch
Yesterday as a treat for our guests we decided to do a bush lunch. We found a nice shaded place and set up our lunch. There was a fresh garden salad, potato and feta salad topped up with a tangy mayonnaise dressing also chickpeas and garden peas mix accompanied by a cheese platter. Meats we had bacon rolled pork and honey glazed chicken. And yes, the food was delicious 😋.
Kudos to the team for helping in making this possible.
Charax butterfly
It was a lovely afternoon with a cool breeze and bird songs filling the air. I was enjoying some RnR out in the bunker that afternoon at Linkwasha camp, in the Hwange national park when i saw these beautiful butterflies.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA : Charax Butterfly 
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA : Charax Butterfly
Olympus OMD M1MarkII
Focal Length: 210 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/2000 sec
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO: 800
It so happened that i was undergoing camera training with the olympus team for their flagship camera the OM-D M1MarkII. I could not resist snapping a quick picture using the pro-capture feature.
Tawny eagle
My best work yet. Captured a tawny eagle mid flight. I am becoming quite the photographer.
Tawny eagle just after take off 
Tawny eagle mid flight
I am in love with the Olympus OMD M1MarkII. Captured this tawny eagle using pro capture on the M1MarkII and it is amazing.
My configuration for those two shots:
Olympus OMD M1MarkII
Focal Length: 150 mm
Shutter Speed: 1/2000 sec
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO: 200
For someone who is somewhat an advanced beginner at photoghraphy, i do believe that is not half bad.
my new conscious diet
I have decided to embark on a proper diet. To start off, i have decided take the green veggies route. I used to frown down upon any and all mentions of vegetables. I have since realised the nutritional value and benefits of these phenomenal treasures. Salads are fast becoming my favorite indulgence.
lettuce mix 
tomatoes, cucumbers, mix of peppers
Working in the bush aka safari camp, has also helped me in appreciating the simple things in life as well as nature. In what better way to appreciate all this than with a lovely deconstructed salad. Simple but elegant. You can also have some cheese “cubes” on the side as well as a salad dressing of your liking. I would recommend a home made vinagrette with some herbs for flavour. In case you were wondering, YES is was delicious and i enjoyed every bit of it. Kudos to everyone involved for an amazing job.
As fresh as bread comes
Just finished making peter’s bread with the chefs, and it looks great.
Hyena activity too close to my room
Saw these hyena tracks yesterday morning close to my room.
hyena track
hyena tracks
hyena track
Hyenas or hyaenas are any feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae. With only four extant species, it is the fifth-smallest biological family in the Carnivora, and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems. Wikipedia
We have three types of hyenas namely, Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea) and striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena). In as much as hyenas are scavengers, some of them like the spotted hyena will in some if not most cases kill the animals they eat unlike their stripped counterparts.
These animals are nocturnal and very active during the night. They can be heard throughout the night calling and in some cases making their iconic laugh.
Let us look at some statistics:
Speed
Spotted hyena: 60 km/h
Mass
Spotted hyena: 44 – 64 kg, Striped hyena: 22 – 55 kg, Brown hyena: 40 – 44 kg
Height
Spotted hyena: 70–92 cm, Striped hyena: 60–80 cm, Brown hyena: 70–80 cm
Gestation period
Spotted hyena: 110 days, Striped hyena: 90–91 days, Brown hyena: 97 days
Lifespan
Spotted hyena: 12 years, Striped hyena: 12 years
Special thanks to the following sources: Wikipedia and National geographic
Dark-Capped Bulbul
The dark-capped bulbul (Pycnonotus tricolor) is a common bird around these parts of the country and generaly can be found in central, eastern and south-eastern Africa. They are also a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is always nice to see these birds flying around with their signature bright yellow vent.
They have a grayish-brown upper parts and whitish under parts, grayish-brown breast and a dark head. Plumage is similar if not the same between the sexes. Their length ranging from 18cm to 20cm with males usually being larger than the females. The Dark-capped bulbul is monogamous, laying about three eggs with a 15 day period within a . Their diet consist of but is not limited to caterpillars, insects, nectar and fruits. In the suburbs they can be found in gardens.
The dark-capped bulbul is sometimes identified by other names like black-eyed bulbul (which was a common name as it distinguished it from the red-eyed bulbul), garden bulbul (garden bird) and tricoloured bulbul. This has lead some authorities to treat the dark-capped bulbul as a subspecies of the common bulbul rather than a complete species in it self.
Special thanks to the following sources: Wikipedia & wilkinsonsworld
African Flame lily
The African flame lily also known as the Gloriosa lily, is one of my favorite flowers. Like a gentle flame amidst a sea of lush green vegetation, it burns bright in the rays of the smiling sun. There are a lot of them at this time of the year here at Davison’s camp in the Hwange national park. This one in particular, the Gloriosa Superba is the national flower of Zimbabwe and is a protected species under Parks and Wildlife Act.
Flame lily at Davison’s Camp Hwange
Flame lily at Davison’s Camp Hwange
Flame lily at Davison’s Camp Hwange
The flame lily whose scientific name Gloriosa is a genus of 12 species in the plant family Colchicaceae from the order Liliales, and are native in tropical and southern Africa to Asia, and naturalised in Australia and the Pacific and is widely cultivated.
Some common names include Gloriosa Lily, Flame of the Woods, Flame Lily, Climbing Lily and Glory Lily. (floridagardener & Wikipedia). This plant is a creeper and is poisonous. The tuberous rhizomes contains large concentrations of colchicine and is usually mistaken for sweet potatoes or yams.
Special thanks to the following sources:
A Healthy & Delicious Fruit Salad
Nothing says healthy eating like a fruit salad prepared with fresh and juicy fruits. When you look at it, you cannot help but think of the medley of fruits housed in such a beautiful piece of glassware, and the colours just as varied yet complementing each other in a burst of colour. I could not restrain myself and helped myself to the Chef’s masterpiece.
Sorry chef……..i did not mean to, the salad made me eat it. LOL !!!
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