Cotton tails and bushey tails start moving around at first light. I always see squirrels in the trees all day long and they start jumping around while I'm in the swamp duck hunting in NC.
In CA I mostly see the rabbits comming out just before dark and looking for a place to feed. I have seen them and shot them at all hours of the day. If you use a squirrel call you can get them to pop out to see what is going on. Just a couple pumps on the call will get some to move around in the trees. Not so with the rabit call. You blow one of those and the rabbits leave and the coyote, bobcat, and loose dogs show up.