Greetings, Feathered Friends Community. Let's welcome Round 240 of the Show Me A Photo or SMAP Contest hosted by 
The theme for this week is:
FREE THEME
Every weekend since May of this year I take the ferry boat to bring my grandson across the Davao Gulf to the Island Garden City of Samal. This is because his mom transferred residence to Samal while he is in third grade studying here in Davao City. Samal is an island that is surrounded by sea and the only way one can get there is to take a boat or ferry. No access by road, although the long awaited Samal to Davao City Bridge is under construction and is about 40 percent complete. But this bridge is not expected to be open until the year 2028, so I guess I have 3 long years to look forward to going to and from these two cities.
At first I thought it would be a long and boring 3 years but something made me change my mind that made me now look forward to the channel crossing. After almost 6 months of just enduring the short one-way 10 minute trip, I noticed something interesting that literally put the joy and excitement to the trip.
Bird watching. Wow. I noticed them flying from afar while on the passenger deck of the barge. That's my grandson who I bring over to the other side of the channel.
So actually, instead of looking up to watch and photograph them, I had to look down which explains why the bird is below me and not above.
I thought it was a seagull but appeared to be too small to be one. Then all of a sudden, this one just flew directly underneath me and I was able to get a closer shot.
I Googled the image and found out this is a tern. Most likely a Black-naped tern.
The Black-naped Tern is an oceanic tern found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian and western Pacific oceans.
It is known for its graceful flight and a distinctive black band that runs from its eyes around the nape of its neck. Google Search
Here are some other photos I was able to get with my cell phone.
Wow. I can't wait till my next ferry boat ride to see if I can get more photos of these beautiful birds. Funny how one's perspective and outlook can change overnight. Right? Thanks to our Feathered Friends.
My entry for this Round is the first photo.
That's it for this post. Hope you liked it. Meanwhile, stay safe and may you all have a blessed weekend 🙏
(All photos are mine.)