Hara Forest Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

Qeshm Island is famous for its wide range of Eco-tourist attractions such as the Hara marine forests. According to environmentalists, about 1.5% of the world birds and 25% of Iran's native birds annually migrate to Hara forests which is the first national geo park in Iran. The Hara forest on Qeshm and the opposite mainland covers an area of approximately 20 km by 20 km, with many tidal channels.

The Hara tree, Avicennia marina, grows to heights of three to eight meters and has bright green leaves and twigs. The tree is a salt-water plant that is often submerged at high tide. It usually blossoms and bears fruit from mid-July to August, with yellow flowers and a sweet almond-like fruit. The seeds fall into the water, where wave action takes them to more stationary parts of the sea. The Hara seeds become fixed in the soil layers of the sea and grow. The area on the north shore of Qeshm and the neighboring mainland is particularly suited to the growth of the plant, and large mangrove forests have developed.

The long, narrow, oval leaves of the tree have nutritious value for livestock roughly equivalent to barley and alfalfa. The roots of the tree are aerial, sponge-like and usually external ( lots of them are seen in the FG of the shot ). There is a filtration property in the Hara tree's bark which allows the plant to absorb sweet water while salt is eliminated.

The area is a major habitat for migratory birds in the cold season, and for reptiles, fish, and varieties of arthropoda and bivalves. Green (or hooked) turtles and venomous aquatic snakes are also indigenous to the forests. Bird life includes herons, flamingos, pelicans, and angler eagles. Another important feature of these forests is the appropriate and suitable seabed conditions for the ovulation of fish in the Persian Gulf.

Hara forests are also seen in some other places in south of Iran too; places like Chabahar, Jaask and Naayband coasts.

Another view is available in the WS.

My earlier shots of the Qeshm Island: 1 , 2
*

FL: 24mm
ISO: 200

gracious, skippy007, saeed, ahmetgedikli, syrus_persia, banaei_nikon, saxo042, robertosalguero, belido, Gerrit, danos, BWJ, parbo, stego, shevchenko, AiresSantos, Angshu, patdeph has marked this note useful

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gracious (20017) 2009-03-06 13:22

Salam Atousa,
Thank you for sharing the vastness on this Hara forest which is a safe heaven for birds from the world!
good pov with depth and a good fg perspective on the boat!
many thanks for the informative notes as well
warmest regards
tony

skippy007 (7337) 2009-03-06 20:08

Hello Atousa, When I first looked at this image I thought it was taken in some saltwater area, the white colour gave me that impression, it must be salt, your notes confirm my suspicion. I think the old boat in FG is a good addition & adds interest. They are a strange looking habitat for migrating birds, at times these areas look so dead & unattractive, even though they make for good photography.
Nice natural colour & excellent detail.
Regards
Santo

saeed (32) 2009-03-06 21:33

Salam Atousa
Thanks for this impressive image.perspective and Sharpness is good.Well done.
Saeed

ahmetgedikli (22106) 2009-03-06 21:56

Merhaba Atousa,
A beautiful composition! The POV, light and colours are excellent.
Have a good weekend.
Ahmet

syrus_persia (2222) 2009-03-06 22:15

Salam Atousa
very impressive light management.colours and details are amazing.nice scene,great composition.well done.TFS
Best Regards
CYRUS

banaei_nikon (775) 2009-03-07 2:26

Salam Atousa
Thanks for this impressive image.perspective and Sharpness is good.very impressive light management.
Well done.
**MAB**

saxo042 (16266) 2009-03-07 3:35

Hi Atousa,
A fine and well balanced composition with the interesting old boat as an eye catcher in the foreground.
Kind regards
Gunnar

robertosalguero (110) 2009-03-08 5:24

Hi Atousa,

I think the addition of the boat is what makes this image very interesting. The landscape is nice though I fail to find any focal points, that is until I see the foreground. The old boat seem to balance the image better. Good colours and light. Thanks for sharing Atousa :-)

Roberto

belido (16857) 2009-03-08 6:44

Hello A,

very interesting landscape. I'm amazed by the color od the water. The scene was well composed. The lonely boat is a good eye catcher against all that beauty. Great job!
Regards,
Carlos

Gerrit (36269) 2009-03-08 7:59

Hi Atousa,
wonderful composition and beautiful empty landscape. The old boat forms a fine focuspoint.
Regards, Gerrit

danos (33272) 2009-03-08 11:08

Hello Atousa,
nice the view of this island that in combination with the other two photos make the knowledge about this more spherical.Informative your note about this important geo park in Iran.Well done.

Have a nice week,Danos

BWJ (1775) 2009-03-08 14:53

Salam Atousa,
This is a wonderful image for the unique beauty of the place and also for your excellent composition. The boat in the foreground is a great choice. A superb note! Thanks for sharing.
Kind regards,
Betty

parbo (11014) 2009-03-08 19:00

Hello Atousa,

The muddy texture is amazing with its mix with vegetation. I like the water colors that instantly proves live life there. Sinked ruin boat added great value with your skillful post of complementary shoot. Your note is very interesting about the place that its also ovulation location of fishes in the Persian Gulf. Congratulations. Have a nice new week.

Best Regards,

Ertugrul

stego (22448) 2009-03-09 12:51

Salam Atousa,
A strange and beautiful forest and landscape. The amazing blue of the water combines with the sky and makes a really wonderful contrast with the harsh texture of the FG. The compo and clarity/sharpness are superb, with the bushes/little trees, boat and lagoon rendering a nice arrangement.
I like also the WS, for its peaceful atmosphere and well done compo.
Regards, José.

rodgerg (24973) 2009-03-10 9:08

Hello Atousa,

A nice place full of serenity, of peacefull with a great depht of field. The boat is a FG very well selected. I like too the harmony of the colours and the composition well balanced in differents plans well delimited.
Best regards,
Roger

shevchenko (10072) 2009-03-10 20:22

Hi Atousa,
Interesting composition to share an island living with many species, good pov to show a colorful corner, clear to see the wet land, distinct image, well done.
Ally

AiresSantos (42902) 2009-03-11 0:49

Hi Atousa
Beautiful view of Hara Forest. I like the reflections on the river and the boat in foreground
TFS and have a nice day
Aires

patdeph (18338) 2009-03-14 2:38

hello Atousa
I like this vey wild nature where the colours are really beautiful!The old wooden boat is a very nice element to catch the eyes,and it has a very good place in the compo!
Regards
Pascale

Angshu (34099) 2009-03-15 21:09

Salam Atousa
This looks like marshy land...well composed with the boat in the FG. The colour contrast with the mud colour & the blue of the river makes this appealing. A good note of botany as well. Well done!
Best Regards
Angshu

foozi (4735) 2009-04-08 6:48

Salam Atousa,
wonderful light blue rendition in excellent composition. the elements are well located to give a good view in a tylish manner.
well presented in great clarity.

regards,
Foozi