Turtle Watchers gathered with our friends from Audubon and FWC for our annual group photo and party, this year in the pumpkin patch at Camp Helen State Park. We had a good season for sea turtles and shorebirds on Panama City Beach, thanks to the efforts of these dedicated volunteers and biologists. Two green turtle nests remain on the beach and will be monitored through October. We’ll provide a summary of nesting and hatching at season’s end.
Season winding down
Three viable nests (1 loggerhead, 2 greens) remain on the beach and should hatch by the end of October. A recent excavation of a hatched green nest at the Holiday Inn Express revealed this little straggler, released shortly after this picture and now swimming in the Gulf. Check our Facebook page for information on upcoming nest excavations.
Hatching season update
Surveyor Angela Barros found this loggerhead hatchling at a Surf Drive nest that hatched last night. Angela made sure the little straggler reached the water safely. The hatching season is past the halfway point with about 18 more nests expected to hatch before our season ends in October. This afternoon (9/14) at 5:30 pm, we will excavate another hatched nest at Gulf Crest Condo, 8715 Surf Drive, public access 24. See our Facebook page for dates of all public excavations, and please join us if you can! 
Another green nest!
Another green nest was found this morning, our fourth of the season! So far only 9 of our 46 nests have hatched, but activity should pick up in the coming weeks as nests that were laid after Hurricane Barry begin to hatch. Please call the Beach Police at 850-233-5000 if you see nesting or hatchling turtles on Panama City Beach. Please do not shine lights or take flash photos while turtles are on the beach.
Season update
We’re up to 45 nests including our third green nest found this morning! If you see nesting or hatchling turtles on Panama City Beach, immediately call the Beach Police at 850-233-5000, and Turtle Watch volunteers will be contacted. Please do not shine lights or take flash photos while turtles are on the beach.
Hatching season underway!
Woohoo, hatching season has begun! A loggerhead nest at 4919 Spyglass Dr hatched this week and will be excavated Saturday July 27 at 5:30 pm. We will post dates and locations of all nest excavations on our Facebook page, so please check the link at bottom of this page for more info. As a reminder, we “excavate” nests 3-4 days after hatching as required by our state permit. We count hatched egg shells, unhatched eggs, and release any live hatchlings still in the nest (don’t always find live turtles).
Hurricane Barry
High surf from the hurricane flooded all of our nests and washed away seven. Hatching success will be reduced at the remaining nests, but we still expect some to hatch. On a positive note, turtles will continue to lay nests through August, with the possibility of 5-10 more. Please call the Beach Police at 850-233-5000 if you see nesting turtles or hatchlings on Panama City Beach.
Season update
Nesting season is nearing the halfway point with 19 loggerhead and 3 leatherback nests currently on Panama City Beach. These nests should begin hatching toward the end of July. Report turtle encounters immediately to the Beach Police at 850-233-5000.
Another leatherback!
We found our third leatherback nest Saturday morning, this turtle encountered by volunteers after someone saw her nesting before sunrise and called Beach Police 850-233-5000. Surveyors also found two more loggerhead nests this weekend, bringing our total to 16 nests and 19 false crawls. 
Daytime nester
Surveyor Jennifer Sullivan got a treat this morning when she encountered this nesting loggerhead, our 11th of the season. Nesting is running above average, and we’re looking forward to seeing this turtle again. Please call the Beach Police at 850-233-5000 if you spot a nesting turtle.