Parking/Transportation - Metered parking is hit-or-miss along Constitution Ave NW. Multiple bus routes drop off at/near by Constitution Gardens. Metro stops Smithsonian (Blue/Orange/Silver Lines) and Farragut North (Blue/Orange/Silver) are the two closest Metro stations.

Birding - This small location is easily accessible on foot. Walk around the permiter of the pond checking for waterfowl, warblers during migration, and flyovers. The reflecting pool over a small hill to the south may also contain more waterfowl. The trees on the small hill offer further species. Cattails to the eastern end of the pond offer another variety of habitat. 

Gear - Well maintained paved paths are suitable for any/all seasonally appropriate footwear. Binoculars recommended. Scope unecessary.

Safety Concerns - There are no handrails around the pond or reflection pool. Other than that, this is one of the most touristy areas in all of DC and is quite safe. 

Northern Shoveler - Approximately 87% of all NOSH sightings in the district have occurred at this hotspot. From October through March, this species can be seen regularly with frequencies above 60% for most weeks. 

Ring-necked Duck - Also reliable from November through the middle of March with 61% of the district's sightings occurring at this location. 

Bufflehead - While not uncommon to find elsewhere in the district, 25% of all sightings of this species are at Constitution Gardens which frequencies in the winter months over 60% as well.

Constitution Gardens is a living legacy to the founding of the republic as well as an oasis in the midst of a city landscape. The 50 acres of the park were originally beneath the Potomac River. Near the end of the nineteenth century, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiated a dredging project that created the land that became Potomac Park.

Beginning in World War I, the government maintained "temporary" office buildings on this site for use by the United States Navy and the Munitions Department. Nicknamed "Tempos," these structures remained until the 1970s when President Richard M. Nixon ordered their removal. After the Navy finally withdrew from them, the buildings were demolished in 1971. President Nixon then directed that a park be laid out on the land, leading to the creation of Constitution Gardens.

The Gardens were dedicated in May of 1976 as an American Revolution Bicentennial tribute. On July 2, 1984, the Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence was dedicated on the small island in the lake.

On September 17, 1986, in honor of the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation making Constitution Gardens a living legacy tribute to the Constitution. Visitors enjoy the park all year as the home for a wide array of urban wildlife. Constitution Gardens has been a separate park unit since 1982.