Photo rejected for technical issues

Thank you very much for your informative and educational post; you went above and beyond the call of duty to examine this image and to clarify the ways it can be improved. When I process raw files I am always sure to address noise, exposure, white balance (when it is really evident), and I usually apply unsharp mask as the final touch. Unfortunately, I forget to look for chromatic aberration so your point is well taken, a good reminder to me! Thank you, too, for suggesting that I sharpen parts of the image; I don't usually think of doing that. Your insights have proved very valuable and I thank you again.

Thank you, Ralph, for your insights and for the time you took to point out problems with my image; it's very good to have teaching points one can resort to in the future. 

Thank you for your response, Nancy; I appreciate your input. I will definitely be resorting more and more to the 100-200% magnification in the future before submitting a file. 

Thank you for your input; I appreciate your opinion. I did not do anything to the background; I have no knowledge of focus stacks nor have I ever used that sort of technique. My lens (Nikkor 500mm) has produced that sort of bokeh as long as I have used it which is over a decade now. Thanks again for your response to my question.