Year’s first sea turtle nest found

Loggerheads laying eggs in Georgia this early is rare.

CUMBERLAND ISLAND — Authorities say the first loggerhead sea turtle nest of the year in Georgia has been reported.

The nest was found this week on Cumberland Island by National Park Service biologist Doug Hoffman, according to The Savannah Morning News.

Loggerhead nesting in April is rare in Georgia, said Mark Dodd, a biologist with the Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia sea turtle coordinator.

Only one previous April nest has been recorded, on Ossabaw Island in 2001.

Loggerhead nests have been reported this year in Florida as far north as St. Augustine. In Georgia, nesting is expected from May through July, with hatching into October.

In Georgia, nesting is expected from May through July, with hatching as late as October.

Last year set a record for loggerheads with close to 2,000 nests identified on Georgia beaches.

The rise in nests is a positive sign in the recovery of the threatened species, but it also means more turtles could be hit by boats or caught in nets, authorities said.

Last week, 13 turtles washed up dead on Georgia beaches, continuing a trend of a greater than usual number of such strandings this spring.

The total is 50 so far this year compared with 19 by the same time last year.

Seven of those dead loggerheads last week had injuries consistent with being struck by a boat, Dodd said.