Blue sky with white puffy clouds. California live oak trees and rocks are typical of San Diego mountains, hiking at Highland Valley Wildlife Preserve in Ramona. The California ground squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi, also known as the Beechey ground squirrel, is a common and easily observed ground squirrel of the western United States and the Baja California Peninsula it is common in Oregon and California and its range has relatively recently extended into Washington and northwestern Nevada. HTBphotos by John and Katharina Notarianni for websites print news and other media.