Waterfowl first away from Nile dam (4)
I believe the answer is:
swan
'waterfowl' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'away from nile dam' is the wordplay.
'away' becomes 'A' (abbreviation as used in sports fixtures).
'from' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'nile dam' becomes 'aswan' (I've seen this in another clue).
'aswan' with 'a' taken out is 'SWAN'.
'first' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for swan that I've seen before include "Mute, whooper or Bewick's bird" , "Large, web-footed bird" , "Flighty" , "... Australian river" , "Graceful bird" .)