Sea turtle nesting rebounds to new record levels on beaches of Georgia and Florida

In this Aug. 13, 2015 photo made available by the University of Central Florida, green turtle hatchlings emerge from their nests at the Archie Carr Wildlife Refuge in Melbourne, Fla. Florida's nesting season still has a month to go, but scientist have already counted a record 12,000 nests dug by endangered green turtles. Other turtles have also had a nesting comeback in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. (Gustavo Stahelin/University of Central Florida via AP) (The Associated Press)

In this Aug. 13, 2015 photo made available by the University of Central Florida, a green turtle hatchling makes its way to the Atlantic Ocean at the Archie Carr Wildlife Refuge in Melbourne, Fla. Florida's nesting season still has a month to go, but scientist have already counted a record 12,000 nests dug by endangered green turtles. Other turtles have also had a nesting comeback in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. (Gustavo Stahelin/University of Central Florida via AP) (The Associated Press)

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Sea turtles laying eggs on southeastern beaches have rebounded from a nesting slump last year.

On the coast of Georgia, scientists and volunteers counted a record 2,292 loggerhead sea turtle nests during the season that runs from May through August. It's the fifth season in six years that Georgia has counted a record number of nests.

Florida's nesting season still has a month to go, but scientists have already counted a record 12,000 nests dug by endangered green turtles at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. University of Central Florida sea turtle researcher Kate Mansfield says the same beaches had fewer than 50 green turtle nests in the 1980s.

Preliminary numbers show loggerhead turtles also had a nesting comeback in North Carolina and South Carolina after 2014 numbers dipped sharply.