08/04/2026
Although sea turtle nesting on Keewaydin Island is winding down, the last of the emerging females still have a few surprises in store.
A green turtle nested on August 4, which was the first nest for this particular species during the 2026 season. All previous nests had been from loggerhead turtles.
Perhaps, more importantly, this was the 628th sea turtle nest on Keewaydin this year and ties the record set in 2022 for most nests since the Conservancy began monitoring the island. We only need one female turtle, if not more, to crawl up the beach and deposit her eggs to set a new record.
While nesting by female sea turtles is coming to a close, the hatching of their previously laid nests is in full swing. Our science interns and staff are busy each day monitoring the nests and excavating those that have hatched to estimate the number of hatchlings entering the Gulf.
Approximately 16,000 hatchlings have already made their way down the beaches of Keewaydin. Barring any tropical cyclones or coastal flooding events, we could also see a record number of hatchlings for the 2026 nesting season.
Follow the progress by using our sea turtle dashboard for real time data: https://conservancy.org/seaturtledashboard/
