Visitor Call Leads to Discovery of Recently Hatched Sea Turtle Nest

On Friday afternoon, a visitor phone call resulted in the discovery of a recently hatched green sea turtle nest just south of Avon, per a recent online update from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

“Thanks to a phone call from a visitor this afternoon, Seashore staff were able to ensure seven green sea turtle hatchlings made it safely to the ocean,” stated the update. “Then, after a little tracking, staff discovered the nesting cavity at the top of a dune, located around a half mile south of [ORV] Ramp 38. Another 97 green sea turtle hatchlings were recovered and safely released!”

The discovery of the nest brings this year’s total number of nests on the National Seashore to 473, which includes 439 loggerhead nests, 33 green sea turtle nests, and 1 Kemp’s Ridley nest. The previous record was 325 nests, which occurred in 2016.

It’s somewhat unusual for hatchings to occur in late November, and per http://www.seaturtle.org/, there are only two incubating, or unhatched nests, currently within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The public is advised to call 252-216-6892 if they to see a sea turtle on the beach during a visit to the National Seashore.