One man’s hobby during the COVID-19 pandemic has taken flight.

Over the past few years, Greenbank resident John Schmidt has constructed close to 400 birdhouses. His retirement venture, which he refers to as Bird Bed & Breakfast, keeps him busy and “out of trouble,” as he puts it.

“I was just bored out of my mind, so my wife said, ‘Why don’t you make me a birdhouse?’” Schmidt said. “So I made her a couple of birdhouses, and then a couple of her girlfriends wanted birdhouses, and then the neighbors wanted some.”

Now, he sells the birdhouses at various farmers and holiday markets around Whidbey Island.

Made entirely of repurposed materials – save for the glue and nails – the diminutive dwellings for feathery inhabitants vary widely in design: chimneys made with little stones, shells on roofs, barnacles on fronts. There are chapels, golf shops, schoolhouses and even recreations of historic buildings islanders will recognize, from Toby’s Tavern in Coupeville to the Greenbank Farm barn to The Clyde Theatre in Langley.

“I refuse to buy any,” Schmidt said of his construction materials. “Like right now, I’m almost out of wood. With that last storm we had, the beach will really change. I’ll search the beach, see what kind of wood is down there.”

A stroll through Schmidt’s backyard reveals endless examples of his craftiness, including furniture made from driftwood, a neighbor’s firepit turned into a bird fountain and an old watering can that is now a birdhouse.

Like many local artists, he lamented the loss of Island Recycle’s expansive scrap metal collection, which provided many odds and ends for his projects.

Before retirement, Schmidt was a general contractor for remodels and home inspections, which perhaps primed him for working with houses of a much smaller scale.

Earlier in life, he served in the National Guard as a tank mechanic in the Tri-Cities area.

“We had a lot of fun,” he recalled. “Never went anywhere. They weren’t sending me to war back then.”

Every spring, he enjoys seeing the sparrows build their nests in his birdhouses, 10 of which he has surrounding his Lagoon Point home.

His birdhouses range in price from $25 to $40, depending on how long they take to make.

“They’re very reasonable,” he said. “I have people tell me all the time, ‘You’re way too cheap.’ But I’m not in it to get rich.”

To inquire about purchasing one of Schmidt’s creations, email smitz48@whidbey.com.

(Photo by David Welton) Birds flock to the feeder in John Schmidt’s backyard.

(Photo by David Welton) John Schmidt has many amusing elements that can be attached to his birdhouses, including this “No Cats Allowed” sign.

(Photo by David Welton) John Schmidt sifts through his rock collection.

(Photo by David Welton) John Schmidt creates birdhouse replicas of historic Whidbey buildings, including Toby’s Tavern in Coupeville.

(Photo by David Welton) An array of John Schmidt’s birdhouses, a retirement venture which he refers to as Bird Bed & Breakfast.