Earth Beat, 2 December 2011. We uncover the unexpected. From the man who discovered an island that appeared in the middle of nowhere, to bike lanes that sprung up out of the blue. Stories about some delightful surprises. Comment on the show.
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As a boy Joe Petersburger would hear fascinating tales of the Mayfly.
They mystified and fascinated him, but despite living close to the river Tisza in Hungary where they breed, he never saw them swarm.
Then many years later, with no warning, something hit him in the face (more photos below).
Joe Petersburger was a Grand Prize, Professional winner in the 2011 "National Wildlife" Photo Contest.
Many of us have dreamt of finding our own private island – but artist Alex Hartley has actually done it.
Nowhereisland, as he dubbed his discovery, is a small outcrop of rocks off the coast of Norway.
It only became visible thanks to a melting glacier (more photos below).
Alex tells host Marnie Chesterton what it felt like to be the first person to set foot on this new nation – and why he’s currently in the process of dragging it southwards.
More on Nowhereisland from The Observer - Alex Hartley: The world is still big.
The island of Terschelling in the Netherlands is a beachcomber's paradise.
Recent years have seen around half a million shoes wash up on the beach, thousands of bananas, fire extinguishers, whisky and children’s toys. And for many islanders it’s become a daily activity to comb the miles of coastline (more photos below).
Earth Beat correspondent Louise Stoddard spoke to beachcomber Hille van Dieren on Terschelling.
More on this story - Dutch island is beachcomber's paradise.
Flotsam & Jetsam is a documentary based around the beachcombers on the neighbouring island of Texel. The film follows the lives of the beachcombers (or Jutters as they are known), exploring their relationships and history as extraordinary people in extraordinary situations.
The Fiji Petrel is one of the world’s most elusive birds.
In April 1984, nearly 130 years after it was first discovered, it made a brief but dramatic comeback, emerging from the darkness to hit Dick Watling on the head.
More from Fijian NGO NatureFiji-MareqetiViti - A grounded Fiji Petrel successfully released.
Videos - BirdLife International - Search for the Fiji Petrel.
Watch more Fiji Petrel videos at NatureFiji-MareqetiViti's YouTube channel.
Pictured, the Takalai Gau (Paramount Chief of Gau) Ratu Marika Lewanavanua releasing a Fiji Petrel in front of Sawaieke villagers on Gau Island on May 1 1984. The first confirmed Fiji Petrel since the type specimen was collected at the same location in 1855 (more petrel photos below).
Smog-filled Mexico City might not be the most obvious place to get on your bike, but the number of cyclists there is on the rise.
Problem is, there aren’t any bike lanes.
Oscar Montiel is part of Haz Ciudad, a group which decided to take matters into their own hands – by painting some.
And the best bit? The lanes are still there and growing in popularity (more photos below).
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In a recent episode "Places we can't go" I was hoping you would have featured a place called Sentinel Island. I just recently learned about it from a humorous entry in Wikipedia and I was hoping maybe you could find information on someone who has been there and survived.
This is the island in the Bay of Bengal whose inhabitants reject modern life and attack if contact is attempted, right? Great story! Thanks for the tip, we'll see what we can do.
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