Today we (finally?!) get an ink that isn’t made by Pilot (for whom I have nothing but admiration), and we move to another company I have a great deal of respect for. Kiowa Pecan is no longer being produced, but you can still get Noodler’s Pecan. Who knew that there were birds called Screamers? Three…

Today, we have yet another ink in the Pilot Iroshizuku line (remember, they were selected randomly for the whole year, but here we have three in a row from the same company and the same line). This Tsutsuji is DA BOMB! Might be my favorite ink of the year. It is elegant to write with,…

Today’s ink is Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-gao and surprisingly, I think I like it even better than Kon-peki. Both of these Iroshizuku have been beautiful writers. Three species of Cassowaries and one more member of the family: the EMU!!!!

I have had a very positive experience with the Iroshizuku line of ink from Pilot, and for quite a while, Shin-kai was my daily ink. Today’s ink is the one favored by Brian Goulet of gouletpens.com. I probably still would take my Shin-kai over this, but Kon-peki is a bright, beautiful blue. Tinamous are South…

Another disappointing, boutique ink that isn’t saturated enough and is a challenge to write with. (Though I still hold open the possibility that with a Medium or Broad nib the flow might be better, or that somehow glitter is to blame, but I really don’t think it’s the glitter at this point, because other inks…

Well, the exploration of all the birds by Families has begun, so we’re back to the Ostriches (Struthionidae) and now, on top of my seriously deficient cursive, you’ll be treated to my childish illustration skills! Enjoy learning some fabulous facts about the world’s biggest birds while taking in the soothing, happy Blue Nose Bear from…

This may be one of my favorite inks of the year, mostly because it is so well-behaved after some of the inks I’ve been through recently. Under different lighting conditions, there are hints of colors other than black (which you might suspect given the ink’s name), but as you write with it, you think “nice…

An ink that is both shimmering (FWP uses “sparkling”) AND a light yellow-brown color! Not my favorite (though the bottle swatch is nice, it just takes too much work constantly jiggling the pen to keep all the sparkle in suspension. Well, we’ve arrived at the penultimate order: the Parrots (Psittaciformes). Hang on to your hats…

They used to be grouped with the Hawks, Eagles, & Allies, but now the Falcons have an Order to themselves, and there are 65 of them! This elegant color from Jacques Herbin completes a nice, autumnal trio with Noodler’s Habanero and FWP Main Street Marmalade.

A terrific color. Good writer, saturated ink, smooth, attractive, no nonsense. Also, the Red-legged Seriema and the Black-legged Seriema make up the Carianiformes. Enjoy!