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The turkey vulture, Betsy Finch said, had no business being in Nebraska in January.

Stunned by the cold, it was transported to the  where it will stay until spring’s warmer temperatures arrive.

“We’ve already gotten 20 birds in for 2022 and January isn’t actually one of our busy months,” she said.

That busy start follows a record 2021 in which Finch, husband Doug and a crew of volunteers cared for 664 birds at their five-acre farm, which includes three large outbuildings and several large flight pens.

Injured eagles, red-tailed hawks, owls and northern harriers have found refuge at the nonprofit. Extreme weather, wind storms and drought, as well as encroachment by humans, are to blame, Finch said. Collision injuries are the most common.

Finch thinks one of two snowy owls at the facility might have been clipped by a car. Rehabilitation time could be three to six months.

One of the newest residents, an adult eagle, was caught in an illegally baited trap. A Nebraska Game and Parks game warden was called in, who then brought it to one of Finch’s volunteers. He took it to the Bellevue Animal Hospital, where it was cared for by Dr. David Gordon.

It might have a happy ending. A dozen birds are permanent residents because they can’t survive on their own in the wild. Other nonreleasable birds are donated or transferred to other organizations or nature centers such as Fontenelle Forest for display or education.

“It’s doing great,” Gordon said. “It’s eating for Betsy.”

Keeping more than 50 animals fed with rats and mice or fish for the eagles is one of the most difficult parts of the job for Finch, who has been caring for injured raptors for 46 years, 26 of them at Elmwood.

It’s not just the expenses involved for the nonprofit, but the daily effort, too.

“Going out in a blizzard to feed and take care of birds is not the fun part,” Finch said. “Some need to be fed more than once a day.”

It’s a calling for Finch, who said she began when her Lincoln Audubon group was looking for volunteer work in the 1970s. She started organizing state and local permits, food supplies and housing for raptors.

“Once we got the birds in, I got so interested and I stayed with it,” she said. “It’s really very rewarding for me.”

Her rescue is unique, she said, in that it has volunteers spread all over the state, who come together to relay injured birds to the facility.

Staff from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium and Lincoln Children’s Zoo, as well as volunteer veterinarians like Gordon, provide care for the birds.

Dr. Christina Ploog from Henry Doorly said they’ve been working with the rehabilitation center for more than 10 years, providing physical exams, radiographs, wound management and fracture repairs.

“Our team enjoys supporting Betsy’s efforts in providing outstanding care to injured raptors, and we are always thrilled to hear that a patient has been returned to its natural habitat,” she said. “These opportunities allow our veterinary staff to give back to the community and to the ecosystem we care so much about. It is an amazing feeling to know that you helped an injured bird be released back into the wild.”

Finch hasn’t slowed down despite turning 75 this week. She knows she needs to develop a plan that keeps a steady supply of funds coming in to feed and care for the birds as well as finding an eventual replacement. As much as she loves it, she doesn’t want to be doing this when she’s 90.

“We had so many birds this year I haven’t been able to work on any of that,” she said.

As well as the veterinarians and volunteers, she said Doug has been a big support through the 21 years of their marriage. They met when his son did an Eagle Scout project at the facility.

There are ups and downs to their efforts. There’s the amazing part when a once-injured bird is released and the challenging part when a raptor has to be euthanized because its injuries are too great or it’s in pain.

“If someone can’t do that, they have no business in rehabilitation,” Finch said. “You always have to do what’s best for the bird.”