Florida is home to more than just gators and the infamous Florida men. The state boasts a lot more wildlife than just crocodilians. Snake and bird species by the dozen also call the state home.
With how much wildlife calls this place home, it’s inevitable that they’ll rub shoulders with Florida’s human residents sometimes.
Autumn Cochella of Florida has a very quirky friend who keeps visiting her front door. His name is Carl.
Carl is an interesting fellow. You can definitely call him sociable. He’s also on the tall, lanky side. What’s more, Carl is clearly a fan of the state’s tropical climate.
He’s also a family man, as we’ll see later.
Carl is no human, though. He’s a Sandhill crane.
The sandhill crane, scientific name Antigone canadensis, is a very common species of crane. The males can stand as high as 119cm, or about 4 feet. Definitely tall enough to knock on a door.
And Carl seems to have found Autumn’s home very attractive, as he kept visiting her front door.
The unlikely friendship began when Autumn was doing what many homeowners here do: feed the birds.
Throw out a bunch of seeds and let any avian friend come and get it.
Florida boasts plenty of bird species, and residents of the state are missing out if they don’t try and see a few.
Carl, however, was different from the other birds. He didn’t just take the seeds and leave.
The crane seems to have taken the seeds as a friendship gift, or something of the sort.
Eventually, Carl figured out where Autumn lived and paid her a visit. He nonchalantly knocked on her door and awaited a response.
Autumn, finding Carl a bit cute, said hi a few times.
Carl took this a sign that he was welcome, and has visited her home every day since then.
Often, Carl will knock at the door until Autumn or her husband answers it.
They’ve become so accustomed to Carl’s visits, Autumn sometimes brings wine to drink while spending time with him.
She shares a lot of Carl’s visits in the form of videos on TikTok. You can watch the sandhill crane visit her front lawn or go for an afternoon walk with her.
Eventually, Carl introduced his family to Autumn. He has a wife and a child, whom Autumn named Carla and Junior.
Autumn got to watch Junior grow up and leave the nest, and see the next pair of chicks that Carl and Carla had.
The crane pair had two more chicks, whom Autumn named Kyle and Kevin.
Unfortunately, Kyle wasn’t able to grow up like his older brother. He was hit by a car, leaving Carl and Carla with one less chick.
Autumn didn’t want this to happen again, so she put up a custom-made “Crane crossing” sign by the road near her. I’m sure Carl appreciates it a lot.
It’s a blessing to get to be this close with such a gorgeous bird, and that’s exactly how Autumn feels.
What began with some bird-feeding has turned into a special relationship, and a newfound appreciation for the local wildlife. I wonder how much more of each other’s lives these two will get to see.
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