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Loggerhead nesting continues on PCB, having reached 22 nests so far!
We have had one Green false crawl (she returned to the water without nesting) so we are still awaiting our first green nest (fingers crossed we get a couple this year).

Considering our first 2022 nests were laid late May, we’re patiently waiting for late July when our hatchling season should begin.

We appreciate your help to keep our beaches clean, dark and flat. If you see a nesting turtle on Panama City Beach, please immediately call the Beach Police at 850-233-5000. They will forward your report to Turtle Watch volunteers who will respond to mark the nest. Don’t shine lights on the turtle or take flash photos, and stay at least 30 feet away and not in her line of sight.

Our surveyors and nesting volunteers have been busy! We have marked 12 nests for protection and recorded 12 false crawls. Our surveyors check the beach each morning looking for turtle crawls. When a nest is found, data is collected and our volunteers mark it off for protection. Average incubation on our beaches is 2 months at which time we monitor for hatching activity. Reminder, if you see a sea turtle on the beach at night keep your distance, do not use any light, and contact local police so our volunteers can respond.

Pictured: Our 2022 Nesting Volunteers

We are off to a great start having found seven loggerhead nests so far. We expect more in the weeks to come as we enter our peak nesting period.

If you see a nesting turtle on Panama City Beach, please immediately call the Beach Police at 850-233-5000. They will forward your report to Turtle Watch volunteers who will respond to mark the nest. Don’t shine lights on the turtle or take flash photos, and stay at least 30 feet away and not in her line of sight.

Hooray, our first nest was found this morning by surveyor Tina Buddi! It was made by a loggerhead, the most common turtle nesting on our beaches. In accordance with FWC guidelines, we will not report specific nest locations to protect them from harm. Later this season (July – October) several days following any hatched nests, we hope to invite the public to nest excavations performed to determine hatching success. Nest excavation locations will be posted on our Facebook page as they are scheduled. We hope you can join us!

Training was conducted yesterday at Seltzer County Park for volunteers who practiced identifying and marking simulated nests. We expect our first loggerhead nest any day!

The 2021 sea turtle season was one of the longest on record due to late-season nests that hatched in November, including these green turtle hatchlings entering chilly Gulf waters just a few weeks ago. Only 26 loggerhead nests and one green nest were found this year, the lowest total in a decade on our beach. Hatchling production was only 41% due to numerous storms that flooded and washed out several nests. Artificial lights continue to pose a serious threat to hatchlings that emerge at night, with over half of those emerging from nests this season disoriented by lights (most rescued by volunteers). We’ll hope for better luck in 2022. See you next year!

Hatching season is winding down as beach nourishment operations ramp up on the west end. We’re still monitoring seven nests which should hatch by the end of October. Stay tuned for a season wrap-up.

All of our nests were flooded by Ida, but those laid near the dune were only moderately washed and should hatch. Of the 14 nests on the beach when the storm hit, up to 5 were washed away and have lost marking stakes, with the remaining 9 nests intact. We’ll assess the nest sites when beach conditions allow. Surf remains high as of this morning.

Fred washed out three nests and flooded several others, but the storm spared several nests which we expect to hatch in the coming weeks. Nesting normally subsides at this time of year, but not this season. Three were laid since the storm came through on August 16, one by a green turtle and the others by loggerheads. Public nest excavations are stopped this year due to covid. We are recording videos of some excavations and posting on our Facebook page. Please check there for updates.

Our hatching season kicked off with over 100 loggerhead hatchlings emerging from a nest last week! We are not performing public nest excavations due to covid, but we will stream some of these events on our Facebook page, so please check there for updates. Remember to avoid using lights or taking flash pictures of hatchlings, and immediately call the Beach Police at 850-233-5000 if you see turtles on the beach.