Dáni Balla

Dáni (short for Dániel) Balla lives in Balmazújváros, Hungary with his partner Annamária. Growing up in a nearby city, he moved closer to the Hortobágy National Park to have better chances for birding every day in the great Hungarian grasslands.

Dáni picked up birding as a child which later set his path in life. He graduated from the University of Debrecen as an ecologist and a zoologist.

After finishing his studies Dáni started working in a conservation project in the Hortobágy and later he made a living doing surveys for various environmental services. He is currently a member of the Hungarian Rarities Committee and the secretary of the Waterbird Conservation Group of BirdLife Hungary.

As well as guiding for Birdquest, Dáni also guides birdwatchers in Hungary, Slovakia and Romania for our partners at Sakertour, run by longtime Birdquest leader János Oláh. Dáni has a lovely character and is an effective and knowledgeable leader.

Dáni has travelled through most of Europe but in particular, he has travelled very extensively in Asia in search of birds, from the far western part of Asia, including Turkey and Oman, eastwards to Mongolia, the Indian subcontinent, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia and also extensively in both West Papua and Papua New Guinea.