Texas Beach Drivers Warned to Watch For Nesting Turtles

FREEPORT, Texas (AP) — Marine animal experts are asking drivers on Texas Gulf Coast beaches to be watching for sea turtles now in the middle of their nesting season.

Turtle Patrol members have found at least two of the animals dead in recent days near Surfside Beach and near San Luis Pass in Brazoria County and believe both were hit by vehicles.

Henry Peker of The Turtle Patrol tells Houston television station KHOU (http://bit.ly/2ruzC7J ) the turtles' nesting season runs from early April through the middle of July, meaning this is prime nesting time.

Experts are anticipating the number of nests this year along the Texas coast to reach historic numbers. The Turtle Island Restoration Project reports 295 nests so far, up significantly from the 209 found during the entire nesting season last year.