Every sea turtle nesting season brings a wave of excitement to our local beaches, but some arrivals are deeply personal. As Amber Kuehn, Director of Sea Turtle Patrol HHI, shares in her recent article, “‘Stumpy’ is a term that we give to any nesting female loggerhead with an injured flipper. In the database, there are several ‘stumpies’ with documented aborted digs and unique tracks in the sand that reveal injuries. Partial flippers can be compensated for, but absent flippers are a barrier to nesting.” Recognizing how difficult it is for a three-flippered turtle to excavate an egg chamber on her own, Amber has stepped in over the years to manually dig alongside her favorite visitor: “Stumpy and I have constructed four nests together – two in 2020 and two in 2023. She is due back this year. If we keep meeting up like this, I’ll be ready with my digger and honored to receive this rare blessing.”
As the summer of 2026 marks the highly anticipated window for her return, the patrol team is keeping a close eye on the shores for her unmistakable tracks in the sand, knowing that while other resilient turtles face similar challenges, there is only one original Stumpy: “Since this encounter, I have assisted two other stumpies, but they are distinctly different – one with a ‘peg leg’ and the other with a paralyzed flipper. My Stumpy is coming!”
