NORTH CAROLINA -- Add the Tar Heel State to the southeastern states where rare sea turtles are nesting in record numbers.

The nest count tallied by North Carolina researchers showed Saturday more than 1,640 loggerhead sea turtles nests have been found on the state's beaches. That breaks the state's 2016 record of 1,622 nests.

Likewise nesting records have been shattered in Georgia, South Carolina, where the giant turtles crawl ashore to lay their eggs in the sand.

Scientists and volunteers have cataloged more than 12,000 nests so far in the three states. Their record counts three years ago totaled 11,321.

The nesting season typically runs from May through August.