At sunrise, I found the pair on the cross of St Nicholas of Myra on Avenue A.
![Sunrise with Amelia and Christo](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49391958911_ac7d8861fb_c.jpg)
You can see the difference in their size and coloring. Amelia (perched on top of the cross) is larger with a broad chest and a darker head. Christo's head is more of a golden brown and he has more of a white patch on his throat.
![Amelia and Christo](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49392158277_5d92d32783_c.jpg)
As breakfast time neared, Christo eyed the passing menu selections.
![Christo eyes lunch options](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49391482603_e9fa3588d3_c.jpg)
After Christo took off, Amelia observed a few tasty pigeons passing by, but something in the distance grabbed her attention.
![Amelia lets this one go](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49391961421_b7b6813ee2_c.jpg)
She took off from the church cross and headed into the park.
![Amelia](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49392160337_101e78f1f3_c.jpg)
As I was still on Avenue A, I couldn't photograph what happened next, but I could see through the trees. Amelia headed straight for the Temperance Fountain nest and kicked out a squirrel that was messing with the sticks. This territorial behavior indicates nesting time is nigh.
This is the locust nest this morning:
And this is the same nest back in November (photo taken from the other side of the branch):
The hawks have added a lot of sticks recently and it will be interesting to see which nest site they decide to use. Personally, I prefer the ginkgo (in use last year) as the tree is strong and flexible. The locust is brittle and, back in 2017, a large branch broke off while Dora and her chick were in the nest. This particular locust tree is also home to several formidable squirrels.
Late in the day, I caught up with Amelia again as she perched on the top of one of the Village View buildings along First Avenue.
![Amelia on Village View](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49391483218_ec90cc7230_c.jpg)
Later, just before sunset, Amelia and Christo occupied their respective ends of the Christodora roof. Amelia likes the north end while Christo prefers the south. They almost always face west.
![Sentinels](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49392157677_8e367cb767_c.jpg)
After the loss of both hawk chicks last season, I look forward to a new chance for this pair to enjoy some success.
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