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Bird, back by river, tucked into fish little bits at a time (5,3,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dribs and drabs

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'a time' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are singular nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'bird back by river tucked into fish little bits' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
an anagram of 'bird' is 'drib' which is present in the answer.
'river' could be 'r' (abbreviation for river) and 'r' is found in the answer.
'fish' could be 'sanddab' (sand dab is a kind of fish) and 'sanddab' is present in the leftover letters.
A single letter 's' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'at' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dribs and drabs that I've seen before include "bits and pieces" , "Series of small amounts" , "Small sporadic amounts" , "Small scattered amounts" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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