Wild berries are common on all of the Southern Gulf Islands. Many are edible . . . some aren’t. Knowing which ones to pick—when, where, and how—will make your visit to our beautiful islands an even tastier experience.

Strikingly colourful trees and plants, traditional Japanese artifacts at every turn, an island encircled by a pond and accessed by an arched wooden bridge, secreted spots for moments of reflection, and so much more—Mayne Island’s Japanese Memorial Garden is a Southern Gulf Islands wonder. The garden was created to honour and remember the families who emigrated from a small village in Japan and settled on Mayne Island between 1900 and 1942. Visitors will enjoy it again and again.

Its name is misleading—it seldom eats oysters—preferring intertidal macroinvertebrates like mussels, limpets, and barnacles sourced from the rocky surf zone (read Uncovering SGI intertidal life). So, as a shoreline birder, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that, of the nearly two hundred resident and part-time bird species in the Southern Gulf Islands, the Black Oystercatcher is one of my Five Finest Feathered Friends.