A couple of weeks ago I saw a fat rat run through the patio. We found droppings along a wall. The exterminator came and put down some sticky traps. A week later . . . a rustling sound under a tray. It sounded like feathers. A pause. Another rustle.
I am a coward, I admit. My husband deals with vermin. I orchestrate the traps or whatever. He came out, and I went in. He wouldn’t let me look, nor would I.
It was a bird, on the ground, caught in the sticky trap.
My husband snapped its neck, and I am crying as I write this. It’s evil to kill a bird. Not too evil to kill rats. I really don’t even like the idea of sticky traps for rats as it is an awful death.
Never again will a sticky trap be placed anywhere by anyone near me. Please think twice an three times before you put them out.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 
So sad. We’ve never used sticky traps. Rat poison inside the house where the dog couldn’t get to it.
It is sad. I never thought a bird would get caught. I won’t use rat poison as we have dogs that tend to forage unless we catch them. Once one our dogs did catch a rat. The stomach of the rat was gone., chewed out by the terrier. Off we all went to the vet. Luckily there was no poison anywhere but it was a rather terrifying experience. Life and death are such a fine balance.
Poor bird! A few days ago, a small warbler flew straight into the glass storm door on our front porch. I went out, and its neck was broken, poor little thing. Birds hit the windows in the back from time to time, but usually they are just stunned and fly away after a bit.
I suppose you have cleaned out anything the rats might consider a food source from your garden and patio and wall?
My husband deals with furry rats, i.e., squirrels, with a pellet air rifle and an English Springer Spaniel. But there are always more squirrels.
Yeah, it’s sad when we lose our songbirds to our civilization stuff . . . as far as rats go, we have them here regardless. We do keep things clean, but with palm trees and ground cover, as well as open spaces, there are always going to be rats. The dogs help keep them at bay, but they are still disgusting. And the one I saw was FAT! Not big, but FAT!!