Skip to main content

CyberTracker Certification

Overview

CyberTracker evaluations offer a unique opportunity to explore the art and science of wildlife tracking. These practical, field-based assessments are designed to encourage open dialogue, careful observation, and genuine learning in a supportive environment. Open to anyone with an interest in nature, they provide a valuable experience whether you are just starting out or already have experience in tracking. Successful participants who achieve the required standard receive internationally recognised certification.

Course Content

Standard Track & Sign Evaluation

This two-day programme introduces participants to the full range of animal tracks and signs, from the obvious to the obscure. Guided by an experienced evaluator, you will spend time in the field identifying and interpreting evidence of wildlife presence, engaging in discussion to explore reasoning and deepen understanding. The process is as much about learning as it is about assessment. Those who reach a score of 70% or above will be awarded a formal CyberTracker certificate, a recognised standard of tracking skill.

To get a feel for how a track and sign evaluation works check out this video

One-Day Track & Sign Evaluation

For those looking for a shorter introduction, the one-day evaluation provides a hands-on experience in a workshop style. With fewer questions than the full two-day event, it is an accessible first step into the CyberTracker system while still offering a rigorous and supportive learning environment. Achieving 70% or higher grants a Level I Track & Sign certificate, the highest level available in this shorter format.

Trailing Evaluation

The Trailing Evaluation focuses on the ability to follow and interpret the trail of an animal. Over the course of the assessment, you will be asked to track across a variety of terrains, interpret behavioural clues, and work towards encountering the animal without disturbing it. The species involved vary depending on location and conditions. This evaluation is particularly demanding, combining technical skill with patience and field awareness.

Details of the evaluation criteria can be found here.

Upcoming Dates 2026

Trailing Evaluation:

  • 31 January-1 February Sussex
  • 18–19 March, Sussex
  • 25-26 October Moray
  • 21-22 November Perthshire (I will be running a workshop with Steven Hanton prior to this)

Track and sign evaluation:

  • 21–22 March, Sussex
  • 4-5 July 2026 East Lothian contact Dave Crosbie of Treeditions Nature Company
  • 10-11 July Oxfordshire
  • 8-9 August Perthshire Scotland (Steven Hanton will be delivering a 3 day Track &Sign workshop prior to this)
  • 23-24 October Moray Scotland (Dan Puplett will be delivering a Track & Sign workshop prior to this in Moray)

One-Day Track & Sign Evaluation:

  • 14th March 2026 Oxfordshire

Booking

Please read the following information before booking.

All evaluations are self-catered and non-residential.

We are not working from our usual site for our tracking and trailing evaluations and so do not normally offer camping. Please contact us if you would like to discuss options.

Course Dates 2026

Places are limited, and if an event is fully booked you may request to join a waiting list. Additional dates may be arranged if there is enough interest, and it is also possible to organise an evaluation at a location of your choosing.

  • Course: Trailing evaluation
  • Location: West Sussex
  • Date: 31 Jan-1 Feb 2026
  • Start/Finish: 08.30-16.00
  • Evaluator: John Rhyder
  • Course size: 4 (maximum)
  • Cost per person: £275

Bookings closed

  • Course: Trailing evaluation
  • Location: West Sussex
  • Date: 18-19 March 2026
  • Start/Finish: 08.30-16.00
  • Evaluator: John Rhyder
  • Course size: 4 (maximum)
  • Cost per person: £275
Fully Booked
  • Course: Trailing Evaluation
  • Location: Moray Scotland
  • Date: 25-26 October 2026
  • Start/Finish: 08.30-16.00
  • Evaluator: John Rhyder
  • Course Size: 4 (maximum)
  • Cost per person: £275
Places
  • Course: Trailing Evaluation
  • Location: Perthshire Scotland
  • Date: 21-22 November 2026
  • Start/Finish: 08.30-16.00
  • Evaluator: John Rhyder
  • Course Size: 4 (maximum)
  • Cost perperson: £275
Places
  • Course: One day Track & Sign Evaluation
  • Location: Oxfordshire
  • Date: 14 March 2026
  • Start/Finish: 08.30-16.30
  • Evaluator: John Rhyder
  • Course Size: 12
  • Cost per person: £90
Places
  • Course: Track & Sign Evaluation
  • Location: West Sussex
  • Date: 21-22 March 2026
  • Start/Finish: 08.30-16.30
  • Evaluator: John Rhyder
  • Course size: 10
  • Cost per person: £220
Fully Booked
  • Course: Track & Sign Evaluation
  • Location: East Lothian
  • Date: 4-5 July 2026
  • Start/Finish: 08.30-16.30
  • Evaluator: John Rhyder
  • Course size: 10
  • Booking details: Hosted by Tree-ditions
  • Course: Track & Sign Evaluation
  • Location: Oxfordshire
  • Date: 10-11 July 2026
  • Start/Finish: 08.30-16.30
  • Evaluator: John Rhyder
  • Course size: 10
  • Cost per person: £220
Places
  • Course: Track & Sign Evaluation
  • Location: Perthshire Scotland
  • Date: 8-9 August 2026
  • Start/Finish: 08.30-16.30
  • Evaluator: John Rhyder
  • Course size: 10
  • Cost per person: £220
Places
  • Course: Track & Sign Evaluation
  • Location: Moray Scotland
  • Date: 23-24 October 2026
  • Start/Finish: 08.30-16.30
  • Evaluator: John Rhyder
  • Course size: 10
  • Cost per person: £220
Places

About CyberTracker

CyberTracker is a two-part evaluation system developed in South Africa by Louis Liebenberg, now used worldwide. It covers track & sign identification and trailing—following wildlife or people through tracks, signs, and behaviour. The combination of these two elements is tracking: identifying, interpreting, following, and ultimately finding. Evaluations run at standard and specialist levels; We deliver both standard and specialist evaluations.

Why Cyber?

The word “Cyber” comes from the data collection software also created by Liebenberg, which allows wildlife observations to be recorded digitally in the field. Please note that this software is separate from the evaluation process described here.

Catering

All these evaluations are self catered and non residential.

About the Evaluator

These evaluations are led by John Rhyder, a Senior Tracker having achieved 100% in specialist evaluations in both Track & Sign and Trailing.  He is an evaluator in both disciplines and brings years of experience in tracking, wildlife, natural history and teaching.

Fees

Track & Sign Evaluation (two days): £220 per person (maximum of 10 participants)
One-Day Track & Sign Evaluation: £90 per person (maximum of 12 participants)
Trailing Evaluation: £275 per person (maximum of 4 participants)

Hosting an Evaluation

CyberTracker evaluations can be arranged at venues across the UK and Europe. Please contact us if you’d like to bring an evaluation to your location.

Learn more about the CyberTracker system

European Wildlife Tracking
Tracker Certification North America
CyberTracker South Africa

COURSE REVIEWS

So happy to have achieved level 3 in this weekend’s track and sign CyberTracker evaluation. Thanks to the amazing training by John Rhyder some intense studying and more than one moment of muttering to myself I got through the weekend. Such a great learning experience and good excuse to walk through beautiful landscapes. Thanks everyone, especially John for his patience on courses and wizard level knowledge.

Dale Mortiboys

The assessment methodology used by the Cybertracker model is one of the best that I have experienced. Yes, it can be tough at times, but with the graded levels of attainment it gives a fair and accurate reflection of your current abilities in recognising track and sign or trailing. The added bonus is that unlike most other assessment models, there is the opportunity to continually learn throughout. This is both through recognizing new track and sign not encountered before and reinforcing existing learning and understanding. It is like an assessment while being taught!

Darryl Peters

Had a great couple of days up in East Lothian for the first CyberTracker in Scotland, with a great bunch of people and a great bunch of track and sign! A big thanks to Dave Crosbie and Dan Puplett for hosting and organising the event and a huge thanks to John Rhyder for finding some fantastic track and sign in some seriously adverse conditions- a real testement to your skills as an evaluator. Roll on next time.

Rob Brumfitt

This is a Great course, I can’t recommend it enough, if you have an interest (even slightly) in track and sign, just go along, it’s a cheap learning experience for the subject and helps you get your eye in, each course has students of all levels of experience, so no intimidation, I personally used this as a workshop rather than “I want to pass” and so, did not expect anything in return, but with two full days of track and sign this course is a great way to learn and embed the subject. If your thinking about it, just book it.

Paul Workman

Embarking on the journey of trailing through Cybertracker at Woodcraft School has been a massively enriching experience. What makes this valuable to me is the structure and delivery style. Whilst the subject definitely requires lifetime investment and commitment in regards to leaning, improving and becoming proficient, the whole set up offers you the foundation to do this regardless of where your skill set is initially. Whilst laid back, enjoyable and fun, which serves anyone who just wants to trail for leisure, there is still the high level of professional influence and support that makes you value the nature of the 2 day trailing evaluation. This definitely enables you to feel confident that through ongoing learning and investment in a very absorbing and addictive subject matter this can also benefit anyone seriously thinking about teaching or instructing further down the line.

Ian Gosling

The course/ assessment, in my opinion, was first class. The technical balance of questions was really good, and the explanations of the detail was clear and easy to follow. While I scored slightly lower than my previous result, I felt that it was an accurate reflection of where I am currently with my knowledge and skill within the Cybetracker sphere. Again, I have left the course with a sense of frustration of how much there is to know and a sense of pleasure at gaining wildlife information, while is never likely to come up in a pub quiz, it certainly going to open up my view of the natural world. What Cybertracker encompasses for me is the sense that there is always more and the journey never ends.

Richard Law

Just a quick email to say a massive thanks for the last two days of Cybertracking!! I really enjoyed it! And feel like I learnt loads. A massive thanks again to for getting me started in the first place.

Dawn Doughty

The quality of our small group was marked not by age but experience in the field, with others being much more proficient than myself; however this did not detract from the experience but enhanced it. Feedback was given in an informal setting in the local hostelry over a well-earned pint (lemonade for me I had a six hour drive ahead) and was both accurate and insightful with many pointers to improve and practice when I got back home. It was at times painful, frustrating and lays you completely vulnerable to your own insecurities but it is also honest. I had a good idea of my capabilities before I left home but this process tells you exactly where you are at (in a kind and supportive way, thanks Nate).

David Adams

In the past, when I’ve spent time in the woods, I’ve followed the odd deer trail for 100m or so over easy terrain and then as soon as I’d lost the track I’d lose interest and not attempt to question it more or look for the final details. It wasn’t really important to me to find it. After the evaluation, and seeing how its possible to pick up the tiniest of details and start to get an insight into the individual animal that left the track, I am well and truly hooked! Both John and Nate (from Cybertrack) taught me some great skills and methodology that I want to put into practice on a regular basis.

Angie Nash

What I love about the Cybertracker system is that you come away with so much more knowledge than what you started the evaluation with. It may seem a bit pricey for an evaluation but you get just as much out of it as you would a training course, and you come away with a clear idea of your strengths and weaknesses and what you can do to improve. I would highly recommend any of the Cybertracker training and evaluations to anyone wanting learn more about our wildlife and to anyone teaching outdoors skills.

Elayna Shenshone

After the course is over you are left with a lot to process, again this is a good thing as you end up with a choice, either to carry on or stay with where you are, and this will depend on what you wish to achieve with your tracking. The evaluation left me with wanting more for several reasons, one of which was to connect with other instructors as well as the group as a whole, for me this is as important as the course itself. Now it is up to me to go out and build on what I know, ready for the next evaluation.

Geoffrey McMullan

Tags: