A handheld ultraviolet light illuminates Spencer Schock, founder and CEO of WindowAlert Inc., on Tuesday at Hand in Hand Productions. Schock is applying UV Liquid, the Bend company's newest product to help prevent birds from flying into glass, to the pane. Birds have the ability to see the drawings on the glass in plain light, but people see only clear glass.

WindowAlert, a company located in southwest Bend, has developed a new ultraviolet liquid that can be applied to windows to help prevent birds from flying into the glass.

Unlike humans, birds can see ultraviolet light, said company founder and CEO Spencer Schock. So when WindowAlert’s UV Liquid is applied to windows as small dots or other shapes, it catches the attention of the birds but leaves the windows clear.

Research published in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology estimates that billions of birds die each year worldwide by flying into clear glass. To try and reduce the number of deaths, Schock started WindowAlert, located at 1020 S.W. Emkay Drive, in August 2003, selling coated decals that reflect the ultraviolet rays in sunlight.

The decals, which are designed to be stuck on the outside of windows, caught the attention of homeowners, he said, but some commercial building owners didn’t want to use them.

So in 2010, Schock went back to the drawing board, in an effort to find a liquid solution.

“I wanted to create a product that was more appealing to more people so that we could save more birds,” he said.

Chemical engineering began in 2011, and after more than $100,000 in product development, the UV liquid launched in April.

“We experienced numerous setbacks that we had to overcome,” he said. “The first (product) reflected UV light, was virtually clear, but you could not get it off the window. A second setback was … it was easily removed, but if you sprayed it with water it would turn white. So if it rained it would ruin someone’s view.”

The decals and liquid are sold at more than 500 wild-bird stores and garden centers across the country, including several Central Oregon locations. A 1.5-ounce bottle costs $19.45. Schock said a bottle should be enough for several houses. He hopes the product will attract not only home and business owners, but those in the window-washing industry.

“We’re hoping that window vwashers nationwide will start to use UV Liquid as an add-on sale product,” he said. “That would mean they would wash someone’s windows and then use UV Liquid to protect those windows against bird strikes.”