Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary, technically Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is located in the Municipality of Saanich on southern Vancouver Island. This urban wild sanctuary is almost adjacent to City Hall. This marshland oasis is home to wild animals and birds of many descriptions. We just missed the otters, but saw many of the sanctuary's turtles and birds. A walk around the main trail might have taken half an hour, but watching the birds, photographing and exploring made it a four hour visit with a plan to return again many times. The interpretive centre is a good place to start. Bring field glasses and a camera!