Birds of Sestroretskoe boloto

This lowland is separated from the Gulf of Finland by a sandy ridge and bounded by the escarpment of an ancient marine terrace. About 8,000–7,000 years ago, when the Littorina Sea reached its greatest extent, the area was a shallow marine bay. A sandy barrier gradually cut the bay off from the sea, first creating a lagoon; as the water body later shallowed and became overgrown, organic and mineral deposits accumulated and peatlands developed. The bog did not form all at once: researchers identify at least four centres of peat accumulation that expanded and eventually joined. Its oldest parts are at least 8,000 years old when the earlier lake stage is included, and the peat deposit reaches about 6.5 metres in places. Drainage and peat extraction were avoided because these boggy lands were poorly suited to agriculture. A major change came in 1721, when a reservoir was built for the arms factory, flooding the southern part of the bog.

The shallows in the northern part of Sestroretsk Razliv and the lower reaches of the Sestra and Chernaya rivers are important gathering places for waterfowl and other waterbirds during migration. The wetland landscapes lie on the White Sea–Baltic migration route. Among birds recorded nearby are the hooded crow, mallard, great tit, Eurasian magpie and Eurasian tree sparrow.