Now In-Person and Simulcast – Please join us for the first in-person meeting scheduled by NCAS since February 2020. Vaccinations will be required for all persons attending the meeting and vaccination cards will be checked at the door.  Masks and social distancing will also be required for all persons. In-person programs in the Rotunda Room of Old City Hall will have distanced seating with a maximum capacity of 60 people on a first come, first serve basis. If you feel unwell or have any symptoms of illness, please tune in virtually to our programs.

If you don’t feel comfortable attending the meeting in person, NCAS and the Whatcom Museum will also be simulcasting the presentation on the Whatcom Museums You Tube channel, https://youtu.be/weECTLFr2jU . 

Do Crows Have Language? – Douglas Wacker

Like humans, crows are smart, social, and make a variety of interesting vocalizations, but do they have a language like us?  In this talk, Douglas Wacker will discuss research on crow calling behavior that he’s conducted with undergraduates at the University of Washington Bothell.  He’ll introduce the crows that roost near the campus, explore crow vocal communication, and discuss how their vocalizations compare with human language. 

Doug Wacker is an Associate Professor of Animal Behavior at the University of Washington Bothell, where he works with undergraduates to study bird social behavior and communication. He has studied a communal roost of ~16,000 American Crows on the Bothell campus since 2012. He lives in Lake Forest Park, Washington with his two children, Eilidh and Delphinia, his wife Kim, and two indoor-only cats.