A fleeting encounter with the Green-throated Carib (Eulampis holosericeus) at dusk.

It came and went before I had a chance to react. I was still thinking about the Caribbean Elaenia I had just seen while sitting on the veranda. The Green-throated Carib (_Eulampis holosericeus_) zipped past the western edge of the garden—a silent shimmer against the grey-blue sky. No call, no chirp. Just the faint electric hum of wings, like a question left hanging. I’d missed the shot. I lowered the camera and waited. Minutes passed. Then, a flicker—there it was again, darting among the Nerium oleander blossoms at the corner of the yard. I switched the Fuji X-T3 to high-speed burst, pushed the shutter, fought for focus in the dimming light. The carib was quick, elusive, its iridescence catching the dusk and vanishing just as fast. Out of a dozen frames, two were usable. Green-throated Carib (Eulampis holosericeus) near Oleander (Nerium oleander) · Sunday 4 May 2025 FujiFilm X-T3 · ISO 320 · 1/950 sec XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR · 284.2 mm · f/6.4 This wasn’t my only sighting. The carib returned every morning during breakfast, and again at dusk while I ate dinner on the verandah. I could almost set my watch by it. But photographing it? That was another matter entirely. Hummingbirds are magic in motion—hard to pin down, all glint and flutter. The Green-throated Carib is one of the larger species found in the Lesser Antilles, with a deep emerald body, bluish wings, and a gently decurved bill designed for sipping nectar from curved blossoms. It prefers forest edges, gardens, and scrubland—habitats exactly like the one I was sitting in. Unlike the Ruby-throated Hummingbird back in New Jersey, which hovers daintily and often holds still mid-air, the carib moves with more force. It zooms in, feeds fast, and vanishes. It doesn’t hover for long or pose obligingly on a branch. It’s bold, but not showy. Territorial, but not theatrical. It made me work for it. Still, that flash of green in the garden was a fitting end to the first day. ### Like this: Like Loading... Birds Nature Travel Wildlife Backyard BirdingBirdingBirding LiferBirds of the CaribbeanCaribbeanCaribbean BirdsDorsetshire HillEulampis holosericeusGreen-throated CaribHummingbirdIsland BirdsLesser AntillesSt VincentSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesTropical BirdingTropical Birds