Gathering usually comes at a sensible time, as in, if you're stuck in the jungle. I suddenly found these things and gathered them to help us escape I collected these coins throughout the years and added them to my collection also, gathering could be meant as a meeting

"Gather" and "collect" are similar in the sense that they are referring to a broader area (you get the information from more than one place) where "pick" is more specific (you choose the information from one place).