TURTLE SEASON
LOGGERHEAD HATCHINGS ON TOPSAIL ISLAND
Topsail Island, NC is a premier nesting site for endangered loggerhead turtles, with a season running from mid-May through August. Volunteers monitor over 20 miles of beach, where these, the most common species on the island, lay roughly 120 eggs per nest. The area is renowned for the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center www.seaturtlehospital.org in Surf City.
Key Details About Loggerhead Turtles on Topsail Island:
- Nesting Season: May through October, with peak nesting in June and July.
- Nesting Behavior: Females return to the same beach to lay 3–5 nests per season, roughly every 60 days.
- Conservation: The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (KBSTRRC) protects these turtles, with volunteers monitoring nests.
- Hatching: Nests contain around 100–120 eggs, which hatch in about 60 days.
- How to Help: Visitors should fill in holes, remove beach equipment, and turn off oceanfront lights to prevent disorienting hatchlings.
- Education: Free "Turtle Talks" are held on Tuesdays at 9 am at Town Hall from June through August.
NC WILD LIFE WEBSITE