VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — The Oregon Department of Transportation has installed its latest weapon in the war against starlings that have been flocking to the Interstate 5 Columbia River bridge and fouling it with their droppings.
Workers installed a propane-powered air cannon on Thursday on a catwalk 239 feet above the water.
Beginning Monday, the cannon will be fired at random times over the next month to scare off the starlings. Officials hope the birds don’t get as accustomed to the blasts as they have to traffic and jet noise.
The Columbian reports (http://is.gd/vV4EF5) the air cannon produces 95-decibel noise. Traffic on the bridge is about 90 decibels and a jet overhead about 100.
