Machiel Valkenburg is a partner in Central Asia Birding. He is born in a small town in the south of Holland. Inspired by his father he started to discover the world of birds at the age of 7. He is a member of a birding group that is active in monitoring projects for Sovon. Eagles and Warblers have his special interest. He has a good hearing and a keen eye. Machiel is a devoted traveller, he made trips to almost every country in Europe. Travelling outside of Europe always to known birding hotspots as Morocco, Gambia, Ukraine, Georgia and of course several times to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. He has a calm approach, respect, good atmosphere and good birding are keywords for trips guided by Machiel. Machiel will lead the May 2008 Birding Breaks trip to south-eastern Kazakhstan.

Madina Dyussebayeva is a partner in Central Asia Birding. She is born in Almaty but lived all  her life just outside the city. She graduated in 2004 at the faculty of International Tourism in Almaty. She has been a manager in the tourism branch for over 5 years and speaks English, Russian and Kazakh. Her main interest are the cultures and traditions of Central Asia. She is a born Kazakh and she can tell you a lot about the customs and nomadic life of the people of Central Asia. Besides her interests in traditions she is a real nature lover. Plants, birds and butterflies have her special interest. She is enthusiastic and loves to tell about 'her' country. Madina will join the tours as guide/interpretor.

Arend Wassink started birding on a very young age. Travelling widely and for long periods in Asia, for instance in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, India, Jordan and Israel, he was involved in guiding, sound recording, ringing and other research. Arend is one of the co-founders of the Dutch Birding Association (DBA) and currently a member of the Dutch Rarities Committee (CDNA). He lives on his much beloved, birdrich Texel, the Netherlands, leaving the island only for travelling abroad, nowadays to Kazakhstan. In 2007 he published 'the Birds of Kazakhstan', a full-colour avifaunistical work on the avifauna of the country. Arend Wassink is a friendly guy with an extraordinary knowledge of Eurasian birds.

Vladimir Kolbintsev is born and raised in Kazakhstan. He lives near the Aksu Dzhabaghly Nature Reserve. Until recently he was a research scientist at the reserve, here he studied the rare species of vertebrate animals and plants for various Red Data Book. Vlad has an extraordinary knowledge about local natural history. Besides he is a more than fine birder with also great interest and knowledge about plants and butterflies, he is very keen on making photographs too. Vladimir is a pleasant person with great love for the ecosystem that he lives in, he can and will tell you all you wish to know.