2024年6月1日，熱帶氣旋馬力斯襲港，觀鳥會研究員在三號風球的惡劣天氣下，於大嶼山水口的水稻田中發現一種在香港未曾被記錄過的鳥種──爪哇池鷺（Ardeola speciosa）。
牠在水口米田逗留了兩天。如獲紀錄委員會接納，這將成為香港及華南地區的首次紀錄。爪哇池鷺是東南亞地區的留鳥，沒有明顯的遷徙習性，但在東亞地區的一些島嶼，如台灣、石垣島和沖繩有迷鳥的記錄。爪哇池鷺外觀與香港常見的池鷺（Ardeola bacchus）相似，只有在換上繁殖羽時才能準確區分：爪哇池鷺的頭呈金黃色，後枕上有兩條較長的淺色飾羽，而池鷺的頭和後枕飾羽皆為磚紅色。
水稻田是爪哇池鷺的主要棲息地，這次發現有賴水口村村民與香港觀鳥會互相合作，以辛勤的開墾和耕作，復耕了水口的水稻田並創造了香港迎接新鳥種的機會。儘管當日風雨飄搖，我們仍很感激能夠與村民一起欣賞這種罕見而美麗的爪哇池鷺，見證生境管理工作的成果。
On June 1, 2024, Tropical Cyclone Maliksi struck Hong Kong. Despite the severe weather conditions under Signal No. 3, researchers from the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society discovered a bird species which has never been recorded in Hong Kong: the Javan Pond Heron (Ardeola speciosa), in the rice fields at Shui Hau on Lantau Island. It remained in the paddy field for two days. If accepted by the Records Committee, this would be the first recorded sighting of the species in Hong Kong and the South China region. Javan Pond Heron is a resident bird in Southeast Asia and does not exhibit obvious migratory behavior, although there have been records of vagrant individuals in some East Asian islands such as Taiwan, Ishigaki Island, and Okinawa. The Javan Pond Heron closely resembles the commonly seen Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus), and accurate differentiation is possible only when the former is in breeding plumage. The Javan Pond Heron has a golden-yellow head and two elongated pale plumes on the nape, while the Chinese Pond Heron has a brick-red head and nape plumes.
Paddy fields serve as the primary habitat for the Javan Pond Heron, and this discovery demonstrates the collaboration between the Bird Watching Society and the villagers of Shui Hau in their efforts to cultivate and restore the paddy fields, creating an opportunity for Hong Kong to welcome a new bird species. Despite the challenging weather conditions on that day, we are grateful to have shared the experience of observing this rare and beautiful Javan Pond Heron with the villagers, and to witness the success of habitat management efforts.
圖一： 村民得知有珍貴雀鳥到訪水口，特意帶相機拍下紀錄照（Mink Chan攝）
Figure 1: A village learned about the visit of rare bird and specially brought a camera to take record photo (Photo by Mink Chan)
圖二：爪哇池鷺於準備插秧的水田中覓食（WY Yam攝）
Figure 2: The Javan Pond Heron forages in a paddy field prepared for transplanting (Photo by WY Yam)
圖三：爪哇池鷺於水口上空翶翔
Figure 3: The Javan Pond Heron soars above Shui Hau
圖四：爪哇池鷺於水稻田內休息，並於田壆上來回走動覓食（Kani Au攝）
Figure 4: The Javan Pond Heron rests in the paddy field and walks back and forth on the farmland bund foraging (Photo by Kani Au)
