They are not much bigger than silver dollars when they hatch, struggle out of sand and stumble toward the sea, and most do not survive until adulthood.

But if their mothers are any indication, these loggerhead sea turtles, once in such trouble they were designated as “threatened” by the federal government four decades ago, are making a comeback off the coast of Georgia.

And it is beginning to look as if 2019 could be a record-breaking year, in terms of the number of female turtles who nest there.

As of Wednesday evening, 1,779 sea turtle nests had been spotted by researchers along the Georgia coastline this season, which is not yet half-done.