Back in the day, when I used to draw and paint, my father used to commend me on the eyes of the animals I was depicting. Eye-contact has always felt so important to me... that whole windows to the soul thing. I think of my cats, the robins, Jabi the dog and Jet the horse. The crows don't like eye-contact, but they are the anomaly in my experience. People always say that cats don't like you to look them in the eye, but I have never experienced that. It's said to be threatening. So there's that thing about blinking: you blink and the cat blinks. I know that with dogs there is a courtesy in looking away, that reduces tension. But I believe that the expression of the eye is what really matters. I've said this about the birds before. Just look at these.
This is Garden Robin. See how the eye is different in the two pictures? If you click on them they enlarge.
He was on the lookout for Tane, but keeping an eye on me.
Mrs Squirrel will blink if I blink at her. Usually, squirrels stare at you, all glassy-eyed (as in the second image), so I guess it's a sign of relaxation.
There's a theory that we struggle to empathise with creatures who don't seem to have faces. There's a desire to see faces in trees and clouds... or maybe a tendency to do so. And the fact that we like disproportionately big-eyed animals. We like to tell what the other is thinking (about us) and for them to be vulnerable.
Yes, you do do excellent eyes. Sure is all about the eyes in that first squirrel photo. And let's see, the second robin's eyes seem more engaged. (Even though I need to clean my eyeglasses.) Yes eyes are significant for us. Neat what you said about blinking responses. Interesting what you said in your last sentence about vulnerability. We figure there's a connection when they look at us, don't we. I think the vulnerability can work both ways, for ex. dogs using their expressions to get what they want from us. It's wonderful how you are making use of your close observations to consider eyes and the difference they make. Thanks x