European Roller spotted

On our way back from Goult on Thursday lunchtime, an exquisitely beautiful blue bird landed on the road in front of the white minibus.  It had wings the colour of turquoise and a rust-brown body.  Christine Kay, who was in the front with me, speculated that it could be a kingfisher, its colouring was so bright, but it was the size of a Jay.  An extensive search online and in our bird book,  has led me to believe that it was a European Roller Coracias garrulus .

They do breed in Provence, but usually around Les Baux.  This is the first one I have seen here, although in the Vaucluse there are said to be 50-70 couples, and on a map of their distribution in the department they are definitely shown in the Luberon. They are a near-threatened species and relatively rare in Europe, although Southern France has a growing population. It was certainly a breath-taking sight.