Loggerhead sea turtles laid a record 4,292 nests on Georgia beaches this year, a hard-won rebound from a low of 358 nests in 2004.
From
To
Kris Williams Carroll, director of the Caretta Research Project, holds three loggerhead hatchlings found during the excavation of a nest on Wassaw Island, Ga., July 18, 2026. (Justin Taylor/The Current GA/CatchLight/Report for America via AP)
A loggerhead hatchling races toward the surf after emerging from its nest on Wassaw Island, Ga., July 18, 2026. (Justin Taylor/The Current GA/CatchLight/Report for America via AP)
Biologists and volunteers with the Caretta Research Project measure a loggerhead sea turtle as it lays eggs on Wassaw Island, Ga., July 19, 2026.(Justin Taylor/The Current GA/CatchLight/Report for America via AP)
Biologists and volunteers with the Caretta Research Project excavate a recently hatched loggerhead sea turtle nest on Wassaw Island, Ga., July 18, 2026. (Justin Taylor/The Current GA/CatchLight/Report for America via AP)
There's excitement on the beaches of Southern California. Sea turtle eggs have been discovered at two sites in Orange County. The nests have been fenced off at Huntington Beach and an area near Seal Beach. Authorities say they're the “first-ever recorded” nests on the U.S. West Coast for any sea turtle species. Olive ridley turtles are the smallest of sea turtles, with adults weighing up to 100 pounds. Heidi Stephen took her son to Huntington Beach on Tuesday and describes it as “so magical.” The eggs could hatch in 45 to 60 days.
This aerial view shows a protective fence surrounding a sea turtle nesting site on the beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
This aerial view shows a protective fence surrounding a sea turtle nesting site on the beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A protective fence surrounds a sea turtle nesting site on the beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A sign stands near a protected sea turtle nesting area on the beach in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)