05/09/2026
BIRDS AS ART Updates
Yes, the BIRDS AS ART blog has been down since 28 April, 2026. Thanks to the many who let me know via e-mail. Be sure to scroll down as there is some blog content toward the end of this missive.
I received this e-mail from Bluehost several days ago:
We’re contacting you with an important update about your hosting service. On April 28, cPanel disclosed a critical security vulnerability affecting hosting providers industry-wide. We applied the necessary patch to the cPanel software the same day. As a precaution, we took certain servers offline where our monitoring indicated they may have been affected before the patching was complete. Your server was among those proactively secured due to possible impact. We are currently attempting to restore your services to the best of our ability through a transfer process designed to ensure the highest level of data integrity.
This is the transcript of the end of a long chat session with Bluehost last night:
[23:13:53] Agent: Thanks for your patience. and sorry for the delay there was network issue
[23:14:11] Agent: The issue is due to a known server issue-The server box is down. Admin team is aware of the issue, and they are working on it actively, and it is expected to be resolved soon. we do not have exact time frame for this
[23:15:34] Customer: As I said above, this is totally unacceptable. Down more than 10 days. Are you kidding me? Read your own website about your "great service and reliability."
[23:18:10] Customer: They are obviously either not working hard enough or they do not care. Or both.
[23:24:57] Agent: Sorry for the delay again\ I understand your concern.
[23:25:19] Agent: This has affected all accounts in server not specific to your account
[23:26:11] Customer: To be honest, I am worried about the loss of my life's work that was entrusted to Bluehost.
[00:10:04] Customer: Cat got your tongue?
Last night I spoke with my friend, the technologically brilliant Maury Nepris. He agrees that the complete loss of the blog might be a possibility. I sure hope not.
Anke Frohlich and I spent our last three mornings on South Padre Island at the water feature near the southwest corner of the Convention Center building. Though the light was mixed sun and shade, the pools cluttered with leaf litter and other debris, and most of the perches far less than ideal, we did quite well in the days following the second cold front. Be sure to scroll down to see two of our photos from the water feature.
On Tuesday evening past we met Dennis Moncla and his lovely wife Jean for a great dinner at Masraff's in Houston. I met and enjoyed chatting with the 89 year old co-owner (with son Russell) Tony Masraff.
Altamira Oriole by yours truly with the tripod-mounted Sony 600mm f/4 and the a-1 ii.
