Vogelschutzgebiet Heisinger Bogen, nature reserve in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

The Vogelschutzgebiet Heisinger Bogen is a nature reserve on the north shore of Lake Baldeney in the Essen district of Heisingen, covering part of the water surface and shore at the southern tip of the Heisingen peninsula. Its shallow-water area holds a well-developed floating-leaf zone and remnants of alder carr, with a floodplain forest remnant behind that is regularly inundated. A belt of alder, sycamore maple and hornbeam separates the shore paths from the lake, and the reserve's southern boundary in the water is marked by yellow buoys and poles.

The reserve was established in the 1930s, when Lake Baldeney was created by damming the Ruhr and a shallow-water area formed at the southern tip of the Heisingen peninsula. It protects a floating-leaf plant zone, alder carr and a floodplain forest remnant that is periodically inundated.

The name Heisinger Bogen refers to the Heisingen peninsula, the bend of land on the north shore of Lake Baldeney. The reserve covers part of the water surface and shore at its southern tip, where yellow buoys and poles mark the boundary in the lake. Walkers on the Bergischer Weg, GeoRoute Ruhr and Baldeneysteig pass along the bank.

The reserve lies at the southern tip of the Heisinger peninsula on the north shore of Lake Baldeney. The Bergischer Weg, GeoRoute Ruhr and Baldeneysteig trails run along the bank, separated from the water by a strip of alder, sycamore maple and hornbeam. The southern boundary lies in the lake and is marked by yellow buoys and poles. To limit trampling, litter and free-running dogs, restrictions apply in the protected area.

The grey heron colony here numbers about 90 breeding pairs, and cormorants nest in the reserve occasionally. Look for the yellow buoys and poles out on the lake: they mark the reserve's southern boundary, which runs through the water.