This rare, pink bird native to the south was spotted at the Jersey Shore

A rare roseate spoonbill, typically found in warmer coastal areas, was spotted near Jersey Shore waters this month.

Emilee Carton, a Shrewsbury resident who has been an avid birder and wildlife photographer for the past five years, had her first sighting of the pink roseate spoonbill this week.

Carton had heard reports of the bird being in New Jersey from other fellow wildlife watchers and on eBird, a bird tracking platform created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon.

Last week, when she went out to the wetlands of Union Beach in Monmouth County, she saw the species firsthand and captured photos of it.

Seeing the rare aviator was a sign, Carton said, as she had just learned from her doctors that the breast cancer she had previously battled had not returned.

"The timing couldn't have been better for me as what got me into this in the first place was that right before COVID, I was diagnosed with late stage breast cancer," Carton said. "I was a wreck. Miraculously, I'm in the clear."

Other bird watchers reported spotting the roseate spoonbill this month in Cumberland County near East Point Lighthouse, according to a post on Birds of South Jersey , a Facebook group with over 33,000 members.

In 2017, the spoonbill was also seen in Cumberland County , with experts attributing the birds' northern movement to hurricanes pushing them from the south.

Roseate spoonbills — pink birds with spoon-shaped bills — are most common in coastal Florida, Texas and southwest Louisiana, according to the National Audubon Society. Typically found in small flocks, they feed in shallow waters, according to the conservation organization.

The birds were being reported as far north as Connecticut, Maine and Minnesota, outside their usual habitats, in summer 2018, the Society said.

Experts have suggested various reasons for these sightings in northern states like New Jersey, including storm fronts pushing them from the south, defective navigation systems, or a desire to explore, according to a report published by the National Audubon Society in 2018 .

Researchers also speculated that after a successful breeding season, younger birds competing for food and space, might venture out to less-populated areas in search of new habitats, the report said.

For Carton, seeing the spoonbill was simply a miracle she still can't believe happened.

"This bird was my pink ribbon of hope," she said.