Environmental enthusiasts have been able to observe loggerhead sea turtles hatching and emerging from their nests, via a live streaming “turtle webcam” installed on a private beach on Big Pine Key in the Lower Florida Keys.

The camera was funded by the Florida Keys Tourist Development Council and was focused on three separate loggerhead sea turtle nests. Nest #1 was expected to hatch between Aug. 17 and Aug. 25, yet no hatchlings emerged. Nest #2 hatched during the nighttime hours on Aug. 27. Due to natural predation by nearby raccoons, a small number of hatchlings were scavenged, yet 80 eggs hatched successfully. Unfortunately, a technical malfunction prevented video from being recorded, however a video of the nest’s excavation is available for view below.

Nest #3 hatched during just before 9 p.m. on Sept. 1. A video recording of that hatch is in the viewer below.