We at Caswell Beach Turtle Watch were very excited earlier this season when we suspected one of our new nests (#66) was a Green Turtle nest (see July 11 post).
Our suspicions were correct! We were so excited to see the very first hatchling so that we could confirm the status of this nest! It was a beautiful hatchling!! Green Turtles have a very distinct markings. The turtles trickled out over a couple of days. Then the King Tides arrived and the storm was approaching. We were given permission by NCWRC to emergency excavate emerged nests early (we need this approval for any variance to their standard regulations), so we did so at almost dark on Monday night before the storm hit.
We were sad to find that not all of the hatchlings made it out of this special nest due to the heat. Here is the story of our Green Turtle nest!