Meißendorf Lakes and Bannetze Moor

The Meißendorf Lakes and Bannetze Moor (German: Meißendorfer Teiche mit dem Bannetzer Moor) are a nature reserve and bird reserve of national importance on the edge of the Lüneburg Heath in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany.

The Lower Saxony branch of NABU maintains a regional nature experience centre which also runs seminars.

But other rare species also breed here, such as the kingfisher, crane, penduline tit, little grebe, water rail, reed warbler, great crested grebe, cormorant, grey heron, greylag goose, gadwall, red-crested pochard, barn owl, black-headed gull, marsh harrier, coot, shoveler, sparrowhawk and red kite.

Amongst the visiting birds are many species that are also on the Red List: Osprey, common sandpiper, ruff, redshank, black stork, goosander and dunlin.

The red-listed Myrica gale, which is on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, grows on the pond embankments.

Other plants that grow here, including some protected species, are the: white water-lily, downy birch, water soldier, woody nightshade, flatleaf bladderwort, small bur-reed, tufted loosestrife, sneezewort, branched bur-reed, cowbane (very poisonous), six-stamened waterwort, yellow flag, Eupatorium.

Around the 35 hectares (420,000 sq yd) Hüttensee lake, which projects into the nature reserve but does not belong to it, a 4.6-kilometre (2.9 mi) long circular path has been made, from which numerous rare species of bird can be observed.

In 1948 the first cinema film by the famous nature cameraman, Heinz Sielmann, was made here (Lied der Wildbahn).