In the span of two days in early January 2016, volunteers patrolling the sound side of Hatteras Island off the coast of North Carolina found 349 cold-stunned turtles. All but two were juvenile green sea turtles, probably three to five years old.

After more than five months of rehabilitation at the North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island, a loggerhead named “Crest” was returned to the beach and set free into the open ocean.

A powerful storm hit the beaches of North Carolina starting on 25 September 2015, and threatened the remaining unhatched nests on the state’s Outer Banks.

Nest #22 is a complete mystery. There are only eye-witness reports that some 100 hatchlings came out of a nest in Southern Shores. Attempts to learn more by excavating a nest failed when researchers could not locate one in the area.

Things look bad for Nest #20 after waves washed over this nest and carried the eggs out to sea. Tourists retrieved some of the eggs, but it will be a miracle if they actually produce hatchlings.

Nest #18 was laid close to the high tide line and close to a fishing pier, so NEST volunteers moved it to a safer place.

Nest #17 is a very efficient nest with no drama and no surprises so far.

Nest #15 boiled successfully; unfortunately, nobody was there to witness the hatchlings as they made their way to the ocean.

Nest #14 had to be moved from the high tide line. While doing so, conservationists removed one egg for a sea turtle DNA study.

Nest #12 is proceeding along normally, and there have been no surprises thus far. This in itself is very unusual for a sea turtle nest!