Saturday morning, island children rose at the crack of dawn and hopped around town hunting.

Duck season? No. And the only rabbit on people’s minds this weekend was the Easter Bunny and he’s off limits. It was egg hunting time. Egg hunts were offered for every age, from just-learning-to-walk to young-adult. Churches, social groups and grocery stores hosted the hunts that invited Easter celebrants to partake in the pastime of hunting for the oval shaped treasures, preferably filled with chocolate rather than hard-boiled yellow yolk.

At the Taylor Road Fire Station, 2,000 plastic eggs speckled the grass and a few could be seen precariously perched from the small trees. Minutes were all the estimated 300 children in attendance needed to pick the ground clean. Ever been in the middle of the hunting grounds when egg hunters get the go-ahead? Hold on to your rabbit ears.

“This was the biggest turnout we’ve had so far for this event,” said Trish Lamar, officer manager for Fire District 2, describing the 4th annual hunt sponsored by the North Whidbey Firefighters’ Association.

Every year, Easter weekend comes with something a little extra for Oak Harbor resident Claire Cochran, who celebrated her 10th birthday yesterday.

Not skipping a beat in checking through her gains from the hunt, she said, “Coloring eggs and going to the egg hunts are fun, but especially since they’re around my birthday.”

Easter weekend, in belated fashion, showed hints of springtime’s arrival. Though a few clouds floated over head, to many parents’ delight they withheld moisture until after hunting time Saturday. Easter Sunday began with sunrise church services, and afternoon hours played host to last minute egg hunts.