VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — Carl Spackler is no military whiz-bang, but the Oregon Department of Transportation is relying on his tactics in their war on starlings.

“You must know your enemy,” said Spackler. “You have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that’s all she wrote.”

Starlings are a continuous problem on the Interstate 5 Bridge, leaving an unsafe, unhealthy and unsightly mess.

Oregon is relying on his experience as a golf course greenskeeper and sworn enemy of gophers to use what he knows plus a propane cannon to keep them away.

Spackler, played by Bill Murray in the movie “Caddyshack,” tried it on a golf course full of gophers resulting in a course full of craters and gophers dancing to a Kenny Loggins song.

Washington and Oregon jointly own the twin spans but Oregon has the job of maintenance and operation.

And that means dealing with tens of thousands of starlings that show up every fall and winter. Many have a particular fondness for the bridge, the lift spans in particular, and the green structures get slimed.

Last week four propane-powered air cannons started blasting away at random over a two-hour period in late afternoons and evenings to scare the wretches off. It will continue through February.

Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians will hear the blasts, which could come as often as every 15 seconds.

The cannons, designed to scatter birds in fruit orchards, aren’t the only thing in ODOT’s arsenal. Workers will bang on the steel beams with hammers.

It’s low-tech, but a bird expert hired to advise ODOT suggested the combination of techniques.

“While the preference would be for the birds to move off the bridges completely, significantly reduced numbers on the lift spans is the goal,” ODOT said.

“Ensuring that bridges operate smoothly and that ODOT personnel are able to work in a safe and healthy environment are our primary concerns.”