If you didn't cover them, even a little, there will be fair game for the birds. But, a dry spell shouldn't hurt the seeds if they haven't germinated. They will just lay dormant until they get the moisture they need to sprout. Did you fertilize the plots? if you did, it could burn the young sprouts if you don't get sufficent moisture. We planted 3 plots 10 days ago, had no rain til this morning (1 inch in 2 hours) Will wait until I see about 2" of growth before spreading fertilizer.
Maybe some others can also give some more advice.

Russ