Bird, cold, fled east (5)
I believe the answer is:
crane
'bird' is the definition.
(I know that crane is a type of wader)
'cold fled east' is the wordplay.
'cold' becomes 'C' (eg on taps).
'fled' becomes 'ran' (ran away).
'east' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'c'+'ran'+'e'='CRANE'
(Other definitions for crane that I've seen before include "Large long-necked wading bird" , "American writer" , "Lifting machine or long-legged bird" , "Bird; dockside machine" , "Bird; mechanical lift" .)