In June 2009, Oceana’s online editor Emily Fisher and marine scientist Kerri Lynn Miller traveled to Bald Head Island, North Carolina in the hopes of seeing loggerhead females lay their eggs. Read their dispatches below, and be sure to check out the photos on Flickr.

Day 1: Hoping for a Glimpse – Emily and Kerri Lynn watch for nesting sea turtles on their first night on Bald Head Island.

Day 2: A Bumpy Ride – Emily and Kerri Lynn join the interns of the Bald Head Island Conservancy for part of their all-night beach patrol.

Day 3: Lucky 13 – At last, a nesting loggerhead female is spotted — twice.

Day 4: Shrinking Habitat – Beach erosion on Bald Head Island could spell trouble for nesting loggerheads.

Day 5: The Real Thing – Emily and Kerri Lynn witness a full loggerhead nesting in the wee hours of the morning.

Day 6: Rehab Redux – For the second year in a row, the Oceana team visits Jean Beasley and the crew at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center.