It is illegal to clean out nest boxes between 1st February and 31st July in case active nests are inside and are disturbed.  If we have a nest box that we would like to clean out we must wait until the autumn when we can be sure that it is no longer being used. Unhatched eggs in a nest box can only be removed legally between September and January (August-January if you’re in Scotland) and must then be disposed of [ > Wild Bird Eggs and the Law].   In Scotland, General Licence GL13 (2023) says eggs removed from nest boxes must either be destroyed immediately or sent to an authorised authority (e.g. National Museums of Scotland). If an operator intends to give the eggs to an authorised authority, they must do so within three days of taking the eggs from the nest box.