There’s a certain sound that makes fall mornings feel alive: a crisp shuffle under the trees. It’s not the wind, and it’s not the squirrels (though they’d like to take credit). It’s the two-steppers, those ground-feeding birds who scratch through fallen leaves like tiny dancers keeping rhythm with the season.
If you watch closely, you’ll see them: Eastern Towhees, White-throated Sparrows, and even Brown Thrashers, all performing their signature double-scratch. They hop forward, then scratch backward with both feet at once, flinging leaves aside to uncover hidden seeds and insects. The move looks like choreography, but it’s actually instinct—a finely tuned foraging method birds develop within weeks of fledging.
And they’re not the only ones who’ve mastered it. Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, and Abert’s Towhees are all part of the double-scratch club. Each one uses this rhythmic, two-footed technique to dig into leaf litter for a meal. Scientists have studied it for decades and found that it’s surprisingly efficient: two quick motions, maximum reward, and minimal wasted energy.
🧡 Here’s my best fall advice: don’t rake everything.
Those leaves you’re tempted to tidy up are an entire ecosystem filled with caterpillars, beetles, spiders, and other insects that birds depend on. When we clear every leaf, we take away their pantry. Leaving a layer under trees or along fencerows isn’t lazy yard work. It’s bird habitat creation.
Under my favorite birch tree, I keep what I call “the stage.” It’s simply a patch of leaves with a ground feeder nestled in the middle. And I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s the best thing I’ve added to my yard in years. Every day feels like an encore performance.
Towhees and sparrows scratch through the leaves, doves waddle in to clean up, and bluebirds swoop down for a few mealworms on the side. Even the shy thrushes can’t resist joining the show, and the wrens make sure everyone knows they’re there
There’s something deeply satisfying about it, this quiet choreography of fall. The two-steppers remind us that nature thrives in the unmanicured places—in the messy corners, the leaf piles, the spaces we let breathe.
So this autumn, pour a cup of bird-friendly coffee, pull up a chair near your trees, and listen for that telltale rustle. You’ll know the two-steppers are out there, keeping time with the turning season, reminding us that sometimes the best thing we can do is simply leave it be.