Looking for birdhouse business with the Smithsonian

If birdhouse maker David Silverman can fly with his latest vision, a little bit of the Smithsonian might one day lead to cooing in your backyard.

The Bethpage business owner began talks with the museum giant's licensing director a week ago in Washington about a line of Smithsonian-themed birdhouses.

"What they're trying to do is extend their brand to other categories," said Silverman, whose business is called Home Bazaar.

The Smithsonian, which has free admittance, has been trying to think out of the box, said Carol LeBlanc, its director of consumer products: "It's kind of reaching out to the consumers beyond the people visiting here. It also generates unrestricted revenue to the museum."

She called Silverman's creations "cool" and said they could be tied to iconic Smithsonian buildings, the gardens on their grounds and the Migratory Bird Center at the National Zoo.

Many of Home Bazaar's creations are like bird palaces, costing more than a song, or up to $400. Warblers could summer at the Sag Harbor birdhouse with real cedar shingles, or perch on the porch of the Hobbit House.