With 303 nests reported, 2024 is a busy sea turtle season for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore

The sea turtle nesting season is winding down, and with 303 nests recorded along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS), 2024 is another solid year for nesting activity, although not as active as recent record-breaking years, including 2023.

2023 had the third-highest number of turtle nests reported since data collection began, which was part of a multiple-year trend. In fact, the top three years for sea turtle nesting activity within CHNS have all occurred within the past five years, and are as follows:

• 2019 – 473 nests
• 2022 – 379 nests
• 2023 – 378 nests

According to seaturtle.org, which actively monitors sea turtle nests all around the globe, of the 303 nests, a whopping 296 were loggerhead sea turtles, four were green sea turtles, two were leatherback sea turtles, and one was a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle.

Sea turtle nests laid by loggerheads, Kemp’s Ridley turtles, green turtles, and leatherbacks have been monitored at CHNS since the 1970s. The Outer Banks serves as seasonal breeding grounds for endangered sea turtles, and the nesting season typically begins slowly in mid-to-late May, before it heats up in the prime summer months. In 2024, the first sea turtle nest was discovered on May 11 in Frisco.

While the nesting season is nearly over, there is still a small number of nests that are incubating within the National Seashore, (four nests as of November 13), and visitors are advised to be aware of these small nest closures throughout Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.

Visitors who notice any sea turtle nesting activity are advised to call the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to report the sighting at 252-216-6892. For the full report from seaturtle.org, click here.