Sick owl?

[Webfoot]

I was driving home via Lolo Pass Road in late twilight and as I rounded a bend I saw something in the road that at first I thought was a rock, but as I got closer I realized was a large owl. I scrambled for my camera but I need not have hurried, as the poor fellow only waddled into the ditch beside the road and sat there. My elation at seeing an owl quickly turned to sadness as I realized he was not well. I stood within five feet of him and shown a flashlight in his face and he just sat there looking at me drunkenly. My first thought was that he had been hit by a car but I couldn't see any obvious damage or blood. Is there some sickness that would do this to an owl? Poison? I really wish I could have done something to help but I have no idea how.

[Limey]

Head trauma can cause that kind of behavior. We treated a lot of owls at the clinic where I worked. Most of the head traumas we saw affected one of the eyes eg: bloodshot, tightly closed or unequal pupils or a dilated pupil. I don't see any signs like that in the pictures. Poisoning can also cause drunken like behavior. If hit by car, you wouldn't necessarily see any visible signs, their plumage is so thick it can take close hands on examination to find wounds. It can be hard to lend assistance if you're by yourself. Since I've had a lot of handling raptors experience I would have wrapped it gently in a jacket, shirt, blanket, towel, whatever I had in my rig, taken it home, put it in a box with some water in a quiet place. Next morning I would take it to a vet, rehabber or Audubon. The tricky part when you're alone is maintaining control of those talons. When picking them up you need to slide your hands over the body and down the legs so you can get hold of the legs, then of course you need some way to isolate it from you in the vehicle so you can drive.
You might try calling ODFW and let them know where it is and see if they will go get it, or a local police department.
Hope this provides a modicum of help for you in case you run into the same situation again.