A Hawksbill sea turtle fledgling at Cape Hatteras National Seashore/K. Maison, National Marine Fisheries Service

Not only was the summer of 2015 a productive year for sea turtle nests along Cape Hatteras National Seashore, but at least two of the nests were made by a rare visitor to the seashore: Hawksbill sea turtles.

Seashore officials say that in early September, a record 289 turtle nests hatched south of Ramp 55. One of those nests, according to park biologists, was the southernmost sea turtle nest recorded on Hatteras Island for the 2015 season. Recent DNA results have confirmed that at least two sea turtle nests this season belonged to Hawksbill sea turtles, a park release said.

"The successfully hatched nest was laid in mid-July and hatched in early September. Park biologists recorded 62 eggshells, 1 dead hatchling, and 31 unhatched eggs during the nest excavation," the release added. "The second hawksbill nest was lost, washed out by the nor’easter that occurred before Hurricane Joaquin passed by offshore impacting the Outer Banks with heavy surf and severe shoreline erosion in early October."

The successfully hatched nest marks the northern-most nesting site on this side of the Atlantic Ocean for the federally endangered hawksbill sea turtle, as noted by the North Carolina State sea turtle biologist Matthew Godfrey and Cape Hatteras biologist, Randy Swilling. Hawksbill sea turtles have been found in the waters off the North Carolina coast, but a Hawksbill nest has never been recorded on the seashore, the Park Service said.