Lambing season

Spring is here, and so are the baby sheep.

Whale watching

 One of the many wonderful things Tenerife is known for are it's marine mammals, so Marc and I took a dolphin and whale watching cruise.  There were lots to choose from, but Marc insisted on going with the one that was one a pirate ship.

 There were lots of bottlenose in the area; we hadn't been out five minutes before they came up to the boats and started riding the boat's wake.

 We were very lucky and spotted a Bryde's whale mother/calf pair.  They are baleen whales, in the same group as blue and humpbacks.  They are migratory, and only in the canary region for a few weeks, so it was exciting to see them.  I love the photo above; the calf is rolling on it's back next to mom.

 This is the first whale/dolphin watching trip we have taken, and I am of mixed oppinions as to how ethical it is.  In the canaries the law states that captains must have special training to go out near marine mammals (and have a little flag to show they are competant).  The bottlenose did seem to be able to easily move around the boats and if they don't want to be around them leave.  But extra boats means more noise in the water, and I am not aware of how much work has looked into how the boats effect the animals behaviours...especially for the migratory species I doubt much work has been done as it would be so difficult to observe them.  I was a bit concerned with how the tour treated the mother/calf pair; they were sighted, the boats moved in, and then the animals left.  We spotted them again, and pursued.  It may be normal behaviour for the whales to be continually on the move, but I don't know. 

It was a wonderful experience, and we made the most of it and learned alot.   However I think supporting the industry is a once in a lifetime thing.

Seabird watching :)

Tenerife!!!

 Tenerife has been wonderful!  Plenty of sun and sangria made for a very nice vacation.  We choose to stay in a smaller town, Callao Salvaje.  Though still touristy, it is much quieter compared to farther south.  And the place we stayed in couldn't be beat; very affordable, a large apartment, and a balcony with a view of the water.  Above is the view outside our apartment

 I was really surprised by the terrain; despite being an island, it is very arrid and desert like.  There is more rain as you get to higher altitudes though, where it becomes more rainforest like, crazy to have both in such a small area!  Marc thought it was very similar to California's layout.  Lots of color, texture, and depth.

Union Canal

This weekend the sun was out and there was no work to be taken home so Marc and I went out to play.  We started a portion of the Union Canal walk (it's about 35 miles, we have about 1/4 of it down so far).  Very pretty, a well kept Edinburgh secret.  I don't know why tourists are sent down to leith to the 'boardwalk' when this is much nicer!  And we got to see some swans up close. Hadn't seen the British ones up to now, and they are way bigger than I had expected.  These guys are the size of a big labrador.

I guess they are mass producing us for profit now...