If we talk about eyes, I think it is inevitable to include an owl image. So thought of kicking off the theme with this image of a brown owl shot in the wild. I have a complete image with a clear perch but cropped the image to emphasise the eyes to fit the theme.
Nikon D500, Nikon 600 mm F4,
1/20 sec ( it is unusual for me to get a sharp image at such a a low SS), f/6.3, ISO 3200
Impressive stare indeed! Did you lighten the eyes or are they naturally so bright? I'd add back some canvas at left to balance the comp. With the direct stare towards us a centered subject would work.
Thank you John for your comments. Interestingly, I intentionally moved the bird to left! It is remarkable how much a little change in crop or placement of the image can have an overall impact on the feel of the image.