Latest ever Sea Turtle nest recorded in North Carolina

Sea turtle tracks coming up the beach and zig-zagging through the sand. Photo by CHNS. A Green Sea Turtle nest found December 3 on Hatteras Island, NC is a record for the latest nest ever laid! The previous record was October 31! This year also marked the return of the Leatherbacks for the first time in 11 years!

The new nest also means that 2023 now boasts the second-highest number of turtle nests reported on Ocracoke, Hatteras, and Bodie Islands since data collection began. 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 2023 – 380 nests 2022 – 379 nests Of these 380 nests in 2023, 324 were Loggerhead sea turtles, 52 were Green sea turtles, 3 were Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles, and one was a Leatherback sea turtle.

To read more about the track at Cape Hatteras National Seashore click here.